THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

FOUNDED BY JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER

Jokn Alexander Dowie and tke
Christian Catholic Apostolic Church

IN ZION.

A DISSERTATION
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY

OF THE
GRADUATE DIVINITY SCHOOL

IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

DEPARTMENT OF CHURCH HISTORY

BY
ROLVIX HARLAN

PRESS OF R, M. ANTES

EVANSVILLE, WIS.

1906

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

John Alexander Dowie and the
Christian Catholic Apostolic Church

IN ZION.

A DISSERTATION
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY

OF THE
GRADUATE DIVINITY SCHOOL

IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

DEPARTMENT OF CHURCH HISTORY

BY
ROLVIX HARLAN

PRESS OF R. M. ANTES

EVANSVILLE, WIS

1906

INTRODUCTION*

The religious movement inaugurated and inspired by Mr.
Dowie came to be known as the Christian Catholic Apostolic
Church in Zion, after Mr. Dowie announced himself First
Apostle in September, 1904. It has been through an evolutionary
process, which with the progress of Mr. Dowie's assumptions
of office and authority, will appear in later chapters. Since
the revolt in April, 1906, the word Apostolic has been dropped,
not by Mr. Dowie of course, but by the new regime under
Deputy General Overseer Yoliva.

Mr. Dowie has been variously designated by his followers.
They were accustomed to refer to him affectionately as the
"Doctor," or "the General Overseer," or as "the First
Apostle." This of course was before the overthrow of his
authority, for now scarcely any one can be found so submis
sive as to do him reverence.

His organization is popularly called Zion, which to the
"knowing" means the Kingdom of God referred to in the Old
Testament under the name Zion.

The C. C. A. C. in Zion is regarded as one of the
agencies for establishing the Kingdom of God. The denomi
national churches are regarded as "apostate," but are also, so
far as they are preaching the gospel, considered to be a part
of the Kingdom of God. The members who are truly Chris
tian are a part of Zion, altho they may not be in the restored,
primitive C. C. A. C. in Zion. This is their theoretical
attitude, altho Mr. Dowie would hardly be thought to be will
ing to concede as much, when we hear him saying: "The purpose
of Zion is to smash every other church in existence. . . . The

* Much of this was written while Mr. Dowie was still in power and for
the sake of vividness it has been thought best not to change the tenses.

2 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

churches of today have gone in the way of Baal . . . There are
multitudes of good people within these churches. There are
multitudes of Godly ministers within these churches. . . . They
are deceived by their leaders. . . . God's will is the destruction
of ever}7 organization which does not extend the Kingdom of
God . . . Zion has arisen, a Kingdom which cannot be shaken,
the Kingdom of God*' Mr. Voliva is practical!}' a ditto of
Mr. Dowie at this point. (See L. of H. Vol. 18, No. 26,
p. 458.)

In this discussion we will use the term Zion as referring to
the C. C. A. C. in Zion, or the people whom Mr. Dowie has
so organized.

The first organization was effected in February, 1896 as the
C. C. C. in Zion, and altered in September, 1904 to C. C. A.
C. in Zion. Mr. Dowie was known as General Overseer,
then as Prophet, and since September, 1904, as First Apostle.
This he has demanded of his followers. In the organization of
the church are found various officers. Overseers, who have
the supervision of fields of labor or departments of work, e.g.
the Overseer of Zion City, or for Africa, or for Australia,
etc.; Elders, who administer appointed branches or stations;
Evangelists, who teach the way of the Kingdom of God and
who hold missions at various points; Deacons and Deaconesses,
who are resident in branches or gatherings, devoting their
time to secular duties of their own choosing or church appoint
ment, t A woman may hold any of these offices. Mrs. Jane
Dowie is the only one who has held the office of Overseer,

* Voice from Zion, Vol. 4, No. 8, pp. 12, 13.

The bitter opposition of the churches to Mr. Dowie and the abuse
merited and unmerited which he has received from the ministry have
doubtless led him to the practical attitude towards the churches which
contradicts this theoretical attitude which was one of strategy as much as
conviction. Mr. Dowie has praised or blamed, approved or derided the
churches as the mood was upon him or as the particular occasion seemed
to demand for the purposes of his propaganda among those in the churches.
(See chapter on Propaganda of Zion.)

t Pamphlet, Many Sided Views of Zion.

INTRODUCTION 3

being in charge of the woman's work. No unmarried man
may hold office above that of Deacon, and the wife of an
Overseer is usually made an elder. This wras Mr. Dowie's
general scheme of organization.

The statistics of Zion are not to had from any trustworthy
Zion source. Mr. Dowie said, April 29, 1900,* "Thanks be
to God that a church four years old, with less than five hund
red members at its organization may be safely counted as com
posed of fifty thousand members." This is only one sample
of his exaggeration, as at that time not more than 12,000 had
been baptized by triune immersion, and it is doubtful if at any
time his following has aggregated more than 25,000. In the
Literary Digest, Vol. 30, No. 5, p. 170, the report of the Com
missioner of U. S. Statistics is partially reproduced and gives
the estimate forty thousand as a maximum figure for Mr.
Dowie's followers. About 22,000 have been baptized by triune
immersion up to the present, and this includes practically all
the members. However with lapses and deaths the decrease
has been large. It is to be hoped that the new regime will at
least be honest in reporting the strength of their church, t

In this membership are found the rich and poor, some
(officers) of University education, but mostly humble unlearned

* Voice from Zion. Vol. 4, No. 8, p. 14.

| The manager of Zion Lace Factory writes as follows: "Dowie gives
and has given since 1902 ten thousand as Zion's population. 1 happened
to be once in a cabinet meeting with him and other officers when this
question came up. His personal attendant, C. F. Stern, who has recently
died had had a census taken of houses and people. This was somewhere
in spring 1903. He said there was one thousand houses and allowing
eight persons to a house you have eight thousand; fine way to get at the
population. He found his census was coming short on actual count by a
long way from Dr.'s given statement and he stopped the actual count and
adopted the eight people to a house method, and to get his average as high
as that he sampled tor counting big houses where boarders were kept.
Dowie wouldn't accept his figures and said he knew there were more
people. My own opinion is that between six and seven thousand is the
right estimate." As a matter of fact when Mr. Voliva made a census of the
city it was found to contain just 5,387 persons.

4 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

people. It is claimed that over seventy nationalities are to be
found enrolled in Zion. * Branches and stations are to be
found in many parts of the world. All over the United States
and in Canada, Zion has established preaching points and
carries on an aggressive evangelistic campaign. In the United
Kingdom, in many provinces of Europe, in Asia and Africa,
Zion's representatives are preaching their threefold gospel of
Salvation, Healing and Holy Living.

The publications of Zion are now printed or have been, in
German, French, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, with some little
work done in Chinese and Japanese. t

In an interview at Havana, Cuba, published in Leaves of
Healing, Vol. 16, No. 20, p. 638, Mr. Dowie says, "The C.
C. A. C. now extends over the whole world. We have many
branches in Australia under an Overseer and Elders for in
stance —

Interviewer, "Are you in touch with them and do they
recognize you as their leader?"

Mr. Dowie. "Yes, and our organization is very close. I
am the First Apostle and General Overseer of the church.
There are Overseers, which are the same as Bishops; Elders,
Evangelists, Deacons and Deaconesses. And then we have a
peculiar organization — peculiar because it has never been in
its present form, in the church before — called Zion Restora
tion Host. They are picked members of the church whom we
first organized in two's then made them ten's, and then made
them seventies, and thoroughly trained them. We have from
eight to ten thousand of them in all parts of the world and
the}7 are under a special vow to God, to myself as Elijah the
Restorer — foretold by Malachi, by St. Peter and by the Christ
himself. I can take a legion of them, as I did for instance to
New York, three thousand strong, in October of 1903." t

*Mr. Dowie's statement in L. of H., Vol. 16, No. 20.
f Pamphlet, Many Sided Views of Zion. Since the sickness of Mr.
Dowie the publication work has been very irregular.

\ The vow to which the members of the Zion Restoration Host sub-

INTRODUCTION 5

The official organ of the movement is the Leaves of Healing"
published weekly in English, occasionally in German as
Blatter der Heilung, and in French as Feuilles de Guerisson,
by John Alexander Dowie at Zion City, 111., U. S. A. It pur
ports to be "a weekly paper for the extension of the Kingdom
of God," and an application for entry as second class matter
is pending. Each issue records answers to prayers for heal
ing, and contains a sermon or sermons by its editor and pub
lisher. Numerous pamphlets are published from time to time,
the advertising lists containing titles to books and tracts on:
i. Zion, Her Organization, Truths and Leader; 2. Zion's
Replies to Her Enemies and Critics; 3. The Evils Zion Ex
poses and Condemns; 4. Divine Healing and Its Truths as
Taught in Zion; 5. Prayer and Its Conditions as Realized in
Zion; 6. Zion's Standard of Consecration and Sanctified Liv-

scribe is given on the blank form for application, "I vow in the name of
God, my Father, and of Jesus Christ, His Son and my Saviour, and of
the Holy Ghost, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, that 1 will be a
faithful member of Zion Restoration Host, organized at Shiloh Tabernacle
in the City of Zion on Lord's Day, September 21, 1902, and I declare that
I recognize John Alexander Dowie, General Overseer of the C. C. C. in
Zion, of which I am a member, in his threefold office, as the Messenger of
the Covenant, the Prophet foretold by Moses, and Elijah the Restorer.

1 promise to the fullest extent of my powers, to obey all rightful orders
issued by him directly or by his properly appointed officers, and to pro
ceed to any part of the world, wherever he shall direct, as a member of
Zion Restoration Host, and that all family ties and obligations, and all
relations to all human governments shall be held subordinate to this vow,
this declaration and this promise.

This I make in the presence of God and of the visible and invisible
witnesses."

Mr. Dowie and Zion have strenuously opposed the oath administered
by secret societies, and he has evidently tried to word this vow so as to
make it appear other than an oath, but there has seldom been a submis
sion expressed in the vow of a religious order more absolute than this. It
has of course been conditioned by many circumstances which in many
ways practically annulled its stringency, but it represents in the main the
authority of Mr. Dowie in Zion, and his capacity for using men to further
Zion's interests.

6 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

ing; 7. Devotional and Inspirational Tracts. A semi-weekly
newspaper, the Zion Banner is also edited by Mr. Dowie and
published at Zion City.

Zion Cit}7 is now the headquarters of the Zion movement.
It is located on Lake Michigan, 42 miles north of Chicago,
and has had atone time a population of approximately 8,000.

Mr. Dowie formed the Zion Land and Investment Association,
February 22, 1899, promising at that time if Christians would
cooperate with him, he would thru that association select and
secure near Chicago, a site for Zion City.* January i, 1900,
in Central Zion Tabernacle, Chicago, 111., Mr. Dowie an
nounced to his people that 6,500 acres, more than ten square
miles, had been secured in Benton Township, Lake Count3r,
111. On Saturday, ]u\y 14, 1900, the site for Zion Temple in
Shiloh Park was consecrated by Mr. Dowie in the presence of
ten thousand people. One year later, Monday, July 15, 1901,
the gates of Zion City were opened, and in about a week all
the lots then offered, were disposed of *to intending residents
of Zion City. On Friday, August 2, 1901, the first residence
in Zion City was read\' for occupancy, and before winter,
hundreds of houses had sprung up where a little before had
been a barren tract. March 31, 1902, Zion City was organized
and incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois.

The Theocratic Party was organized April 7, 1902, and
municipal officers elected on this ticket. It is interesting to
notice the platform of this party, which is the political creed
of Zion. "The Citizens of the City of Zion, Lake County,
State of Illinois, being assembled in their first convention,
held in Zion City, on the night of Monday, April 7, 1902, for
the purpose of nominating the first officers of their city, do so
on a Theocratic Platform, and desire to set forth their position
and their reasons for the formation of this new party in
political affairs of the U. S. of America, in the manner follow
ing:

* Pamphlet, City of Zion. From which most of the facts about Zion
City are taken. The statistics are often exaggerated in this report.

INTRODUCTION 7

First. We declare our loyalty to the Constitution and laws
of the U. S. of America.

Second. We affirm that both the Constitution and the Laws
are capable of amendment and improvement in a Theocratic
direction; and we simply propose to advocate the making of
such alterations in the manner provided by the Laws of the
United States.

Third. We declare the motto of our party to be the unalter
able and unassailable truth that

WHERE GOD RULES MAN PROSPERS.

Fourth. Our object is therefore the establishment of the
Rule of God in every department of government, by the free
will of the people.

Fifth. We declare our conviction that the Holy Scrip
tures wrhich contain the ten commandments, and the inspired
Gospel of Jesus, the Christ the son of God, constitute the
principles of all righteous government for the individual, for
the nation, and for the whole world."

*In a personal letter to me under date of Dec. 11, 190S, a prominent
Zion official says: "We are face to face with some problems of consider
able difficulty at this time, but I believe God will give us the solution and
that the future will see the work of Zion stronger than ever before and in
creasing in strength each succeeding year. The working out of a theo
cratic ideal by those, who for the most part, were born and raised in a
community where a democratic ideal has been in vogue, in a country
which is fundamentally democratic, has of necessity involved the doing of
many things which, like everything in its first stage, are more or less
crude. This is not an age of the full realization of an ideal but of an ap
proximation of the same, and thus we shall go on approximation after ap
proximation until we have realized in full the theocratic ideal in the next
dispensation. There is much in the community and in this work which
is still potential but the future is big with possibilities which year after
year will be a reality."

Mr. Dowie would hardly be as candid in acknowledgment of defects or
imperfections in the theocratic scheme, but the recent events with the ap
pointment of an Overseer to succeed him at Zion City during his sickness,
and the severing of the religious and ecclesiastical side of Zion's work
from the commercial, are against him. The management of the business

8 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

Zion is thus seen to be interested in politics. Mr. Dowie
says,* "The city is governed municipally according' to the
law of the State of Illinois, and of the United States of
America. We bow to these as good citizens, and we have our
charter from the state. Our mayor is elected by the people,
and our aldermen and judge are elected, and all officers. But
I may as well tell you the people would not vote a ticket if I
did not approve it. t There is one ticket and one vote. In
voting for Roosevelt the other day, I took pains with rrnr
people and instructed them in the issues before the nation, and
in the political condition of things from our point of view as
Theocrats — believers in the Rule of God ... I said, 'Why
shouldn't we all vote for Roosevelt?' Our city is a very
young city, and a great many of our people could not vote
. . . We have to live a certain time in a place to be able to
vote; and so of the ten thousand people less than 1,300 men
could vote. We polled if I remember correctly, about 1,260
votes and they were all for Roosevelt. Only 16 Democratic
ballots were cast, and they came in from outside country dis
tricts, and did not belong to Zion. We were President
Roosevelt's banner city."

There have been founded in Zion City a number of indus
tries and institutions, some of which have had a season of
prosperity; some of which have been or are in a precarious

affairs under the theocratic ideal of municipal politics has been a failure
because much of a farce under Mr. Dowie's system of absolutism. He is
the real cause of the failure. (See article on "The Passing of Dr. Dowie"
in The World To-Day, April 1906, which title however is somewhat pre
mature unless Mr. Dowie should be good enough to die and fulfill the ele
ment of prediction in the title.)

* Interview published in L. ot H., Vol. 16, No. 20, p. 613.

f This we could imagine was said with a twinkle of the eye, but it is a
commentary upon the absolutism of Mr. Dowie who is supreme in Zion.
One can hardly see how a Theocratic Party rally could call forth the
amount of enthusiasm they are reported to have done.

{The following is from a letter written to me by the Manager of the

INTRODUCTION 9

Everything" is under the absolute ownership and control of
Mr. Dowie. Zion City bank, general stores, planing mill,
brick yards, fresh food supply, laundry, construction depart
ment, printing" and publishing house, hospices, lace industries
and the like, recognize him as proprietor. In a burlesque on
Zion occur these words, "Elijah II is everything from Founda
tion to the Lightning Rod of the entire institution." This is
certainly true, as advertisements, notices, and every publica-

Zion Lace Factory, dated April 25, 1905, and illustrates the general busi
ness methods of Mr. Dowie and the reasons for the precarious condition of
the commercial departments of Zion.

"1 do not consider Mr. Dowie sincere for this reason (one of many.) In
his paper Leaves of Healing he causes to be published statements concern
ing Zion City and its prosperity, which are false and misleading. People
are here from England and Australia practically stranded and who cannot
get employment, which they had been confidently led to expect, both
from Overseers in England and Australia and by the glowing reports pub
lished in L. of H. Further I have seen what 1 supposed to be errors, in
his statements concerning the Lace Factory and its business which I con
sidered, if allowed to pass deceiving the people. 1 have more than once
respectfully written giving him the true facts and suggesting correction in
following issue of paper, which was never done. Many things are so
highly colored as to practically amount to wilful deception, as most of the
people accept what is written by him as gospel truth. Commercialism is
the stone over which Dowie has fallen. Lust for power is another . . .
None but Dowie can manage the situation as it is. But I ought to have
said mismanaged, for it is gradually growing worse and more complicated
financially. . . . It's the hardest kind of work to keep going. Machinery
has had to be stopped many times for yarn. Not because it has not been
ordered but because money has not been forwarded for bills long overdue.
Zion's strength as a city lies in her industries and these should be built
up regardless of anything. But the reverse has been done. Mr. Dowie
appointed me manager in 1901 and on our judgment and information and
help the factory has been built . . . We did not ask for so large a
building and considered it bad policy to tie up capital in more bricks and
mortar than was necessary at first. We have a building capable of con
taining 82 machines and containing 18 only. . . . How the finances are
managed 1 never could find out. I as manager of Lace Factory did not
or was not allowed to keep books. That was done up at the bank. I
found in 1902 they wasn't paying the yarn bills and 1 point blank asked

io JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

tion bear witness, to which is added the uniform testimon}^ of
those who have been residents in Zion whether or not mem
bers of the C. C. C.

Among the Institutions of Zion the S37stem of education
deserves especial notice. * At the Spring Convocation, 1905,
the claim was made that Zion educational institutions had
completed six years of splendid progress and that the future
was bright with the immediate prospect of a university. Mr.
Dowie is head or president of these institutions; the work of
administering them being done by the Vice-Pres. Rev. H. D.
Braisefield, Ph. B. (Lafayette, Col.), and former student at
Princeton Theological Seminary and Presbyterian minister, t

them what they were doing with the money they received for Lace In
dustry Stock, as they were a corporation. They told me mind my own
business and they would attend to theirs. I said all right I won't order
yarn if you don't pay the bills. . . . They found they didn't need me
as manager any longer, I knew too much and spoke my mind. I have aeon-
tract however which specifies my pay but not my position. 1 challenged
their cause for removal as manager, and they wouldn't discuss the matter.
I had twoorthree interviews with Dowie and told him in speech to his face
and also in letters what 1 thought of things. I practically dared him to
dismiss me so 1 could sue him in court and reveal all I knew but he was
too wily for that." (He continued to draw salary altho not allowed to
manage the Lace Factory.) He says further, "This Lace Factory is three
times overcapitalized and I have challenged him to give a statement of
what he has done with the money before asking for more. In the agree
ment made between Dowie and stockholders he states if dividends
promised were not paid out ot profits in July, 1902, he would cause a
statement to be issued showing conditions and how long they would have
to wait before receiving such dividends, and only on non-payment of
dividends can anyone call for an accounting. I. challenged him on that
very condition and said, as manager I very well knew that no profit had
been made at that time and that he really owed the stockholders a state
ment which he avoided by paying dividends out of capital and has done
so ever since. ... I have grown up with the lace business and there
fore could tell by what lace we were turning out and what wages we were
paying that no adequate profit had been made on capital subscribed. And
yet he gives glowing accounts of the great success of his Lace Factory."

* L. of H., Vol. 17, No. 12.

tSee biographical sketch, L. of H., Vol. 17, No. 12.

INTRODUCTION n

A diploma from these schools claims to establish and certify
the Christian character of its holder, for not only do they
teach one "knowledge," but "wisdom," or how to pray,
for "a man or woman who knows how to pray — not merely to
say prayers— is in right relations with God and with all his
works," and is supposed to have "wisdom." It was on
October 18, 1898 that Mr. Dowie gave an address to his
people entitled "The Spirit of Instruction," based upon Neh.
g:2o, and announced that the time had come for the C. C. C.
in Zion to take up the responsibility of training her own
ministry and workers. They had come without exception
from the denominations and the school has not been in exist
ence long enough to furnish Zion wTith Zion made ministers
and teachers. He said there was to be a Ministerial Training
School in which the teaching of Greek and Hebrew was to be
a prominent feature "in order that messengers of Zion might
become intelligent students and interpreters of the Scrip
tures." t

* L. of H., Vol. 17, No. 12. p. 386.

t The Principal of the Ministerial Training School from the first has
been Elder W. H. Cossum, A. M., a man of deep earnestness and un
questioned sincerity. A former classmate of his at Colgate University,
Hamilton, N. Y., now an officer of that institution, says of him in a per
sonal letter to me: "1 never knew a truer or more devoted Christian than
he is or a man who was a better fellow as a college student. He was
genuine through and through and I have no reason to suppose that he has
changed in that respect. It is something of a surprise to me that he should
have been attracted by Dowie, altho there were features of his life after
leaving college which showed him to beratherdisposedin such a direction.
The only thing that lean say by way of accounting for what may seem
erratic in him is that he is a man of most intense character, of strong im
pulses, with possibly some tendency to go to extremes. He is certainly a
conscientious man and one who would follow wherever his conscience
might lead him. As a student he was jovial and fun-loving and a
thoroughly genial companion, as well as a man of excellent scholarship.
He was at the same time strongly devoted to all religious duties, and his
extreme seriousness at times made an apparent contrast with his usual
geniality."

Mr. Cossum would doubtless have been advanced by Mr. Dowie to a

12 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

On February 14, 1899, Zion College was established. *
The prospectus which was distributed contained in addition
to the faculty roster a statement of the purpose of Zion's
educational work, which formed the basis of what was
pompously called the president's first inaugural address.
"The purpose of this advance movement in Zion is to pre
pare workers for service in the Master's Kingdom, who shall
be equipped to teach the full Gospel as interpreted and
taught by the C. C. C. . . . It will seek to supply deficien
cies of early training in members of Zion who wish to fit
themselves for fuller usefulness by improving opportunities
offered. . . . The aim and object of all work in the college
is distinctively religious, and is, above all, to teach men to
pray so as to receive answers to their petitions."

The enrollment at the beginning of the school year 1904-5,
made on the basis of the last place of residence before coming
to Zion City, showed 38 states and territories, and 19 foreign
countries represented by at least one student. The faculty
has grown from 18 to 75 and the number of students from 29
to 2,136. t

There is a preparatory school taking the place of the
ordinary academy, and junior schools filling out the graded
school system, taught and administered after the model of
most city schools.

The worship of Zion is what takes up most of the spare
time of the people. In fact the}' make a business of religion.
Morning, noon and night, cottage prayer meetings are held

higher office in Zion but for his well-known independence. He was the
only one remaining in Zion with whom I had any conversation or cor
respondence who dared, before Mr. Dowie's sickness in the late autumn
of 1905, to say that "Dowie is not the whole thing in Zion." He has at
tempted to organize the Ministerial Training School somewhat after the
scheme of courses and studies of Hamilton Theological Seminary of
Hamilton, N. Y.

* L. of H. Vol. 17, No. 12, p. 389.

t Report Spring 1905, L. of H. Vol. 17, No. 12, p. 390.

INTRODUCTION 13

in most of the homes, and if any one has additional time and
further inclination he may attend Bible readings or Healing
meetings at Hospice or Tabernacle, at odd hours.

The central place of meeting is Shiloh Tabernacle, * a long
wooden building with gallery on three sides, capable of seat
ing about eight thousand persons. It is here that the Sun
day afternoon general service is held, at which time all who
can possibly do so, assemble for worship. In the summer a
large number of members and visitors come from Chicago and
Milwaukee. The service begins with a processional sung by the
robed choir of more than five hundred voices as they march in.
First come the tiny children who at the beginning of the ser-

*The ultimate aim of Mr. Dowie has been to have a magnificent temple
called Shiloh Tabernacle to seat 16,000 people erected in the central and
most commanding location in Zion City. On the back of the cover of the
program for the Feast of Tabernacles (a yearly series of special services
lasting nearly two weeks) July 13th to July 24th, 1904, a picture of this
prospective temple was printed with the statement that the building is
"Now in course of construction." This was one of Mr. Dowie's promoting
schemes as the only thing that had been done was to plow a line around
the temple site, and with a great demonstration to remove a few shovels of
earth with a steam shovel bought by special contributions for the purpose.
An official writes, April 29, 1905: 4'He is wilfully misrepresenting facts
and misleading the people. With the tacts so plainly before me every day
I cannot come to any other conclusion. One instance, in 1903 he had plans
drawn and actually passed for building a steel and concrete temple to seat
16,000. To begin excavations he ordered a steam shovel which was sent
and erected. The Sunday before he began to use the steam shovel he had
a subscription meeting for the new Temple and people walked up to the
platform and put their gifts into a big barrel. A day or so later Dowie
himself started the steam shovel on its work before an admiring crowd of
adherents. In his speech to them he mentioned the good collection they
had on the preceding Sunday and said there was enough given to pay
for two steam shovels and perhaps three, but he wouldn't say how much
definitely. Here is the sequel. Three or four months later the firm who
supplied the steam shovel put a man in possession, painted Dowie's name
off and he was here four or five weeks pending settlement of account. . . .
What had he done with the people's money collected for the purpose
which he himself said was more than sufficient to pay the bill. Used it
for some other purpose unknown."

i4 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

vice are fresh and alert, but who find the lengthy meeting
wearisome. Then the boys and girls follow, the entire choir
being graded on up to white haired old men and women. The
black gowns, with the white surplices and the mortar board
caps, make a splendid appearance as the singers arrange
themselves in the rear of the platform and pulpit desk where
the "Apostle" will stand to conduct the service. The
seventies and the officers all robed in black come in next with
the Zion Guard and take seats in front of the speaker. Pre
ceded by a few of his most trusted officers, the beautifully
gowned "Apostle" slowly ascends the platform and assumes
his place as priest to officiate for his people.

The lengthy program of the general service would tire the
average church goer because of its monotony and tediousness.
As the "First Apostle" comes upon the platform the people
rise and stand with bowed heads while the invocation,

"God be merciful unto us and bless us,
And cause thy face to shine upon us;
That Thy Way may be known upon earth,
Thy Saving Health among all the Nations
For the sake of Jesus. Amen."

is pronounced. A hymn is followed by the recitation of the
Apostle's creed. The recitatation of the Ten Commandments
follows with the choir and congregation chanting a response
to each. After the singing of the Te Deum Laudemus by
the choir comes a Scripture reading and exposition usually
led by Mr. Dowie or the one presiding at the service, if he be
absent. If Mr. Dowie be present this is often his place for
denouncing everything and everybody who does not accord
with his ideas or notions. The Scripture is simply point of
departure, and along the line that any word or phrase may
suggest, the speaker goes his automatic way, and seldom does
one feel able to discover any thread running through the ex
position, save as some occurrence of an irritating nature fresh
in the "Apostle's" mind, furnishes him with stimulus for
abuse and vituperation well nigh past credibility, if one had

INTRODUCTION 15

never heard him at it. Notices with long comment and a
prayer of great length * are usually inserted somewhere, and
the "Message" or sermon is long drawn out so that the whole
service lasts four hours or more.

Mr. Dowie has attempted to reproduce the especially
spectacular features of the more ritualistic churches, and with
music that is far above the ordinary, would have an attractive
service indeed, if he were not so much in evidence and so
wearisome. However he seems to furnish most of the spice
for the larger meeting, for in his absence it is tame enough.
Mr. Voliva seems to be able to fill the place of Mr. Dowie in
this regard more than could any other officer of Zion.

Triune immersion is the form of baptism used in Zion and
the communion service is open to all Christians who wish to
participate. There are a number of peculiarities of a religious
nature one sees in Zion City. The ordinary greeting is
"Peace to Thee" instead of "Good morning," and the usual
response is "Peace to Thee be multiplied," and if the He
brew language were being used instead of the English
translation one would imagine himself among the Israelites of
old. At nine A. M. the whistle at the power house blows
and for two minutes, Mohammedan fashion, everybody turns
to prayer in whatever place and from whatever work or
occupation, until the same whistle bids them turn their
thoughts to secular things again. A number of things are
entirely forbidden in Zion City. Bill boards at the cross
streets caution one that swearing or smoking or bad language
of any sort are not allowed. Zion City will tolerate no
breweries, no saloons, no drug or tobacco stores, no phy
sician's or surgeon's offices, no theaters, no gambling places,
no dance halls, no secret lodge rooms, no keeping or selling

* A prayer of Mr. Dowie's that was timed by the watch lasfed exactly
three-quarters of an hour. This was unusual of course, but the last two
years, his characteristic service contained a long denunciatory prayer, in
which he gave all his enemies and opponents a severe thrashing over the
shoulder of the Lord.

16 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

of swine's flesh. During the history of the city these regula
tions have been rigidly enforced, in fact there has seldom
been any attempt at infringement. *

Zion's attitude toward Secretism has been one of uncom
promising hostility. Not only has renunciation of member
ship in any secret order been demanded of a prospective
member of Zion,f but an agressive warfare has been waged.
Hardly any issue of Leaves of Healing but contains some
allusion to Secretism as the wrork of the Devil, as a revival of
Baalism, or some other form of heathen idolatry. Denuncia
tions of men of high official positions because of affiliation
with the Masons has been Mr. Dowie's reserve, when he runs
out of things to say upon the topic that he happens to be dis-

* The people of Zion City are carefully watched, and there is constant
fear on their part of being reported for even slight infringement of rules
and regulations, as spies are very plentiful and reporting a person is com
mended by Mr. Dowie. "He believes in nipping in the bud if he gets the
chance. Every train is watched coming and going by men detailed lor
that work at the depot, and suspicious persons watched." (Letter
from Zion City.)

f'The Freemasons, with sardonic grin, will tell you that their religion
is older than Christianity. That is true, in a sense. It is as old as the
Devil. But the religion of the Christ is older even than that. . . . We
give them back their impudent boast, and tell them that the religion of
the Lord Jesus, the Christ antedates their mythical and accursed sham of
the resurrection of the mythical Hiram Abiff. . . . We declare that Jesus,
the Christ, is God, and we are at issue with an atheistic and ungodly
Masonry that will not allow His name to be mentioned in their lodges,
and that denies His divinity." (Voice of the First Apostle in Shiloh
Tabernacle, Lord's day afternoon-, January 1, 1905 )

Mr. Dowie is simply an Echo of that agitation against secret orders that
was at such a tense pitch in New York state after the alleged abduction
and murder of Wm. Morgan in 1826. (See Riley "The Founder of
Mormonism," p. 161 ff.) How he came to adopt this attitude we may not
say, but it is quite certain that the intense feeling against Masonry
which has practically died out in the United States still exists in Australia
where Mr. Dowie got drawn into it. He published what purports to be a
confession of the man who was the very one who murdered Morgan at
the instigation of the Masons.

INTRODUCTION 17

cussing. * In this as in much else he is closely imitated by the
officers of Zion who never lose an opportunity to reiterate
their chief's deliverances, even to audiences who have heard
them over and over again.

An incidental matter with respect to Zion is its attitude
towards the race question. Mr. Dowie once delivered a long
harangue upon Miscegenation t endeavoring to show that the
Bible teaches the intermarrying of the white and negro races,
citing Moses as an example. Among other things he said,
"I stand for the Restoration. As Elijah the Restorer I desire
to bring back again the strength of the primitive man; and I
belive from my spirit that if the yellow, the brown, the black,
and the white man could, in the Christ our Lord, and in
purity, mingle together in one yreat family we would prob
ably get the type of man Adam was, and which \ve lost at
Babel when language was confounded and man was scat
tered. ... I trust that there shall be no difference, but that
we shall have marriages in Zion between all the families of
the one great race upon the earth ... I defend miscegena
tion." A cartoon in connection with this shows a white man
leading a mulatto girl to the marriage altar. Zion, however,
has never seemed to take this view seriously and could hardly
be said to believe in miscegenation. The same might be said
of a number of Mr. Dowie's whimsies. It would be impos
sible to spare space to even note the attitude of Zion, or
rather Mr. Dowie upon the numerous social and economic
questions before the American people, as interesting as that

*L. of. H., Vol. 16, No. 20.

f L. of H., Vol. 13, No. 22. This was apropos the address of Mr. John
Temple Graves of Atlanta, Ga., at the University of Chicago Convoca
tion, September 3, 1903. Mr. Dowie had been invited as a special guest of
the university as his son Gladstone Dowie was to receive a degree from
the law department, and on the following Sunday he must needs take
issue with the attitude of Mr. Graves. Hence the form of his address on
this subject. Like much of Mr. Dowie's practical teaching this is a tirade
against men of opposite social views.

i8 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

might be. * His discussions are characterized by a lack of
appreciation of the true principles involved, and an utter dis
regard for the feelings of any who may honestly and conscien
tiously hold other views. He seems utterly incapable of an
impartial examination of any question, and can only regard
those of another opinion as devils and dastards.

Early in 1903 Mr. Dowie conceived the idea of a New York
visitation. By visitation he meant the placing of a large
body of his followers in the metropolis for the purpose of
assisting him in what might be called a gigantic evangelistic
campaign. He began advertising this visitation, and in
cidentally spoke of the probability of making one to Salt Lake
city to root out Mormonism. Another to London later with
ten thousand of his people was also mentioned.

The New York visitation was carefully planned and about
three thousand of his people were conveyed from Zion City
and Chicago to the metropolis. Taking the Restoration vow
and making this trip if able to do so, was practically made a
test of the loyalty of a resident in Zion City. The journey
was made in special trains, and the visitation was so widely
advertised that New York was on the qui vive. Meetings
were held in Madison Square Garden and in Carnegie Music
Hall, during part of October and November, 1903, with great
crowds in attendance. Nothing was accomplished except the
stirring up of the press to rabid and sarcastic attacks upon
Mr. Dowie and his Zion, and his -disgracing himself and his
people, by thoroughly losing his head and descending to vul
garity in speech that is almost past belief. This attempt at
the spectacular cost over $300,000, at a time when the
finances of Zion City could not stand the strain.

Many even of his own followers think that this visitation
ended in defeat, and very greatly hastened Mr. Dowie's over
throw. It certainly ended disastrously so far as finances are
concerned, and as a promoting scheme was a complete

* Mr. Dowie's teaching has not ail been acquiesed in altho no dissent
of any importance was heard until Mr. Voliva's arrival.

INTRODUCTION 19

failure, and scarcely afforded the gratification of Mr. Dowie's
ideas of his own importance and power which evidently
prompted it.

During the following winter and spring he went upon what
is called a Round the World visitation, with a dozen of his
officers. They visited the Orient and Australia, spending
large sums of money and not materially benefitting the Zion
movement.

Affairs in Zion City were getting very bad financially. De
pression increased. Mam- of the people were being allowed
to remain idle, and capital invested, or supposed to be in
vested was unproductive over long periods. Mr. Dowie com
manded the people to sell and come into Zion City, placing
their money at his disposal. November 28, 1904, he ordered
every person residing in the city, to deposit funds in Zion City
bank. "I have a list of all persons in Zion who have made
no deposits since I sent out my first command, and I tell you
we have no use for them. If the}'- don't show down to-morrow
they will be expelled from Zion. I am not afraid of the finan
cial condition of Zion. I do not know what fear is. The
member of Zion who fears to put his money into our hands
for safe keeping is a coward and we have no use for him here.
He must get out. We can't have him here for he is opposing
the Lord by refusing to entrust his wealth in Zion." These
are his reported words, and approximately sum up the situa
tion with respect to the tyranny that was tightening its grip on
an over credulous following, in the name of the most sacred
religious sanctions. His officers knew the true situation and
also knew the agreement upon which these people entered
Zion, and yet not one of them dared raise even a protest
against a tyranny the like of which has seldom been equaled.
No redress was to be had by an appeal for a hearing in case of
refusal to accede to the demands of Mr. Dowie, and indeed in
many cases the officers were the instruments of the execution
of the threats of their chief who dismissed summarily, any who
refused to surrender all independence even in financial affairs.

20 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

Yet the people trust their interests in the keeping of these same
officers after Mr. Dowie's overthrow.

However this command of Mr. Dowie did not relieve the
situation very much. In an indictment against the deposed
leader presented in L. of H., Vol. 18, No. 25, p. 439, by the
revolting officers of Zion, it is stated:

"He commanded all members of the Christian Catholic Church in
Zion throughout the world to sell all they had and come to Zion City,
placing their money in his hands.

He sent out members and friends of Zion wherever he could to borrow
money mortgaging their property, if they had any, or giving their own
personal notes, if they could get any one to take them. For these loans,
he gave his own personal notes to the amount of Three Hundred Thousand
Dollars ($300,000.00.) This money has been spent in paying debts and
current expenses; there is nothing productive to show for it, and the interest
on these notes has not been paid. Many of them have matured, and those
who borrowed have suffered great loss because there was nothing forth
coming to pay them.

He first declared that Zion should never borrow a cent from the world —
although he urged Zion people to borrow— then declared that he might
borrow Seven Millions of Dollars in fulfillment of prophecy. (See
LEAVES OF HEALING, Volume XVII, Number 4, page 110). Following
this, he came out in a sermon, entitled "The Policy of Zion" (see LEAVES
OF HEALING, Volume XVII, Number 18, page 585) in which he de
clared that God had showed him that he must not borrow from the world.

While Zion City was in this crippled and suffering financial condition,
he launched the proposed Zion Paradise Plantation enterprise, and has
spent many thousands of dollars of the money invested for that purpose;
some in trips to and through Mexico, some for other purposes, including
personal expenses.

He has kept up large and expensive personal homes, households, and
retinues of servants in Zion City and at Ben MacDhui, near Montague,
Michigan, spending many thousands of dollars in improvements upon the
Michigan property, at a time when he was commanding all members of
Zion to sell all they had and bring it into Zion City. He also bought
what he called Bethany Park, improved it, and spent several thousand
dollars in a big showy encampment there, at a time when Zion City's in
dustries were idle for want of a few thousand dollars working capital.

He has drained Zion City Bank of its deposits, until men and women
who have large deposits there, upon which they were depending for their
living, have been compelled to stand in line for hours, and even days,
waiting for a dollar or two out of thousands.

INTRODUCTION 21

These things he has done against the earnest and emphatic protests of
his legal and financial advisers, threatening them with discharge when
they protested too vigorously, and promising reform in some particulars,
only to break all his promises.

Many of these practices have been done in the darkness, so that very
few in Zion, even among those nearest him, have known fully of the real
state of Zion's affairs. In fact, it was his frequent boast that he alone
knew all of Zion's finances.

Such, then, was the condition when on December 18, 1905, he left Zion
City for Jamaica.

Just before leaving, he appointed Overseer John G. Speicher, Deacon
V. V. Barnes, and Deacon Alexander Granger, as a "Triumvirate," with
full power to act in all the affairs of Zion."

We take up now the matter of the protest against the busi
ness mismanagement of Mr. Dowie during the last two years
of Zion's history, the years 1904-05.

The first one from a man of any special influence in Zion
was made by Deacon C. J. Barnard who had been associated
with Mr. Dowie in the Zion financial institutions from their be
ginning. (L. of H. Vol. 18, No. 26, p. 460.) Early in 1899
Deacon Barnard was appointed cashier of Zion City Bank
which opened its doors for business February 22, 1899, in
Chicago, later being transferred to Zion City. Early in 1901
Mr. Barnard was made general financial manager of all Zion
institutions and industries, and manager of Zion City Bank,
which position he held until February, 1905. (See long letter
from Mr. Barnard, Portland, Ore., March 22, 1906, to Rev.
Geo. L. Mason, New York City, in L. of H., Vol. 18, No. 26,
p. 460; also a letter of H. Worthington Judd to Rev. J. A.
Dowie dated Zion City, 111., October 6, 1902, for a full dis
cussion of the matter of the protests against Mr. Dowie's
financial policy.)

An even stronger protest was sent to Mr. Dowie April 13,
1904, while he was in Zurich, Switzerland, signed by the three
men whom he had left in charge of affairs in his absence, John
G. Speicher, Chas. J. Barnard, and V. V. Barnes. It is not
certain that Mr. Dowie received this communication altho it is
probable that he did.

22 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

From this time on it appears that there was an effort on the
part of the business managers of Zion financial institutions to
get Mr. Dowie to turn over the commercial affairs of Zion to
others and give himself to the specifically religious work. He
seems however to have been utterly regardless of all advice,
and fully determined to keep everything absolutely in his own
Control.

In the spring of 1905 matters became almost deperate, and
Mr. Dowie's presence in Zion City during the summer of 1905
did not relieve the situation as he was agitating his Paradise
Plantation schemes in Mexico and paying little or no attention
to the local financial stringencies and industrial depression.
(See same copy of L. of H., p. 463.)

On September 24, 1905, Mr. Dowie suffered a paralytic
stroke and was compelled to cease active participation in Zion
affairs. He left September 28 on a trip to Mexico for rest re
turning November 26, by way of Havana, Cuba. In attempt
ing to address his people in Shiloh Tabernacle December 3rd,
he was overcome by weakness and shortness of breath, being
compelled to abandon the service. He became steadily weaker
and it was decided that he should seek a wrarmer climate. He
left for Jamaica, December 18, being carried to his private car
too sick to stand, scarcely able to speak, at times delirious.
March 16, 1906, he left Jamaica and went to Mexico.

A letter from Overseer Wilbur Glenn Voliva, dated Novem
ber n, 1905, at Melbourne, Australia, (See L. of H., Vol. 18,
No. 9, p. 263) in which this young man of 36 years of age,
who had been nearly five years in Australia, professes his love
and confidence and loyalty to his "First Apostle" together
with devotion to his interests; seems to be the thing that sug
gested to Mr. Dowie where he might find the man after his
own heart to put in full charge of affairs at Zion City.

The Triumvirate" composed of Overseer John G. Speicher,
Deacon V. V. Barnes, and Deacon Alexander Granger began
their administration upon the departure of Mr. Dowie, December
1 8, 1905, with the full confidence of Zion people. They began

INTRODUCTION 23

to readjust Zion's commercial affairs. But Mr. Speicher in
curred the wrath of the absent "Apostle" by officiating at the
marriage of Deacon F. W. Cotton and Miss Doris Aufdem-
berge, and a telegram was sent by Mr. Dowie removing Mr.
Speicher from his offices and membership, "for acting as the
devil's matrimonial agent." (See L. of H., Vol. 18, No. 25.)
Mr. Dowie refused to revoke this action after the matters were
explained to him writh regard to the marriage at which Mr.
Speicher had officiated.

Overseer Voliva was recalled from Australia and appointed
by Mr. Dowie as deputy general overseer at Zion City with
full power to act in all business and ecclesiastical matters.
This really did away with the "Triumvirate." Mr. Voliva
arrived in Zion City, February 12, 1906, under definite
promise to Mr. Dowie to carry out in full his instructions, and
to administer the church in accord with his wishes.

Mr. Voliva is an Indiana man by birth and rearing, and has
been preaching since his seventeenth year. He was first writh
the Christian Connection and then with the Disciples. He
joined the C. C. C. in Zion in 1899. In 1901 he was sent to
Australia and it is said he won over a thousand adherents to
Zion in the less than five years of his work there.

Mr. Voliva gives his experience after coming to Zion City
as follows: "I at once formed a cabinet and council. . . .
I went on prayerfully from day to day, and the more I investi
gated the worse I felt, until every particle of manhood in me
rose up in indignation. I said to myself, 'I will adopt a
pacific polic}'; I will go along quietly and see what can be
done,' and at last, after a long conference with those brethren
who are sitting here (referring to Speicher, Barnes, Granger,
Braisefield, etc., evidently) we arrived at a conclusion which
we believed to be God's will and at once got to wrork."

Just what was the precise order of developments in the
determination to renounce allegiance to Mr. Dowie, can not be
fully ascertained from published documents, altho it seems
clear that Mr. Voliva was planning and discussing what course

24 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

to take looking to the revolt, while it appeared to the public,
and Mr. Dowie believed that he was carrying out fully his
chief's orders.

On February isth, Mr. Voliva had been given full powers of
attorney to act for Mr. Dowie in his absence. On the2ist the
document was confirmed before V. V. Barnes, as notary pub
lic by Mrs. Dowie.

As late as March loth Mr. Voliva addressed a letter to Mr.
Dowie acknowledging receipt of his instructions in letters and
telegrams, and reassuring him of his loyalit}7 in carrying out
these instructions.

The revolt was precipitated April ist in the afternoon ser
vice at Shiloh Tabernacle, Zion City. Mr. Dowie sent a tele
gram, dated March 31, practically revoking the power of
attorney of Mr. Voliva, in which he also commanded certain
changes in the policy of Mr. Voliva and his advisers which
were as the}7 thought for the best interests of the city and
church. In this meeting of April ist Mr. Voliva read the tele
gram, and immediately in defiance of the authority of Mr.
Dowie, reinstated the deposed Overseer Speicher, and an
nounced his determination not to carry out the instructions
contained in the telegram. A large majority of those present
sanctioned these acts of rebellion, and emboldened by this
demonstration of general dissatisfaction with Mr. Dowie's
rule, the following telegram was sent to the deposed leader:
Dowie:— "Zion City, 111., April 2, 1906.

Telegram read here, Chicago practically all including Cincinnati repre
sentative endorsed Voliva administration, Speicher's reinstatement, Gran
gers retention, emphatically protesting against your extravagance, hypo-
cracy, misrepresentations, exaggerations, misuse of investment, tyranny
and injustice. You are hereby suspended from office and membership for
polygamous teaching and other grave charges. See letter. You must
answer these satisfactorily to officers and people. Quietly retire. Further
interference will precipitate complete exposure, rebellion, legal proceed
ings. Your statement of stupendously magnificent financial outlook is ex
tremely foolish in view of thousands suffering through your shame
ful mismanagement. Zion and creditors will be protected at all costs.
S. Voliva, Piper, Braisefield, Excell, Speicher, Cantel."

INTRODUCTION 25

And so the rebellion or revolt was precipitated. As a safe
guard against Mr. Dowie's removing all the revolting officers
and assuming full headship again, a transfer* of all Zion prop
erties held in the name of Mr. Dowie was made by Mr. Voliva
acting as attorney. t to Alexander Granger of Zion City.

*See Bill in Chancery referred to below, Exhibits J. K. L. M.

tKNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That we, John Alexander
Dowie and Jane Dowie, his wife, of the City of Zion, in the County of
Lake and State of Illinois, have made, constituted and appointed, and by
these presents do make, constitute and appoint Wilbur Glenn Voliva, of
the City of Zion, in said County and State, to be our true and lawful at
torney, with full power of substitution and revocation ot such substitution
and power granted hereunder, for us or either of us, and in our name,
place and stead, or in the name, place and stead of either of us, to grant,
bargain, mortgage, lease, release, transfer and convey, with or without
covenants, including the transfer and waiver of any and all homestead or
exemption laws, and rights thereunder, in the State of Illinois and else
where, and properly acknowledge any and all papers or conveyances per
taining to any and all property, whether real, personal or mixed, that we
or either of us may own, hold or be interested in, and wheresoever the
same may be situated as such attorney may see fit; and also to make,
execute and deliver any such instrument; and also in our name, place and
stead, or in the name, place and stead of either ot us, to execute any bail
bonds, appeal bonds, injunction bonds, bonds for costs, or any other bonds
in judicial proceedings or otherwise now or hereafter instituted, and also
to make and enter appearance or admit service ot process in any court of
record or other court, in the name and for us or either us, whenever our said
attorney may deem fit and proper so to do; and also our or either of our
names to sign as surety on any official bond of any person duly appointed
to any public or private office; and also in our name, place and stead, or in
the name, place and stead of either of us to execute, sign and endorse all
leases, bonds, contracts, notes, certificates of deposit, certificates of stock,
bills of exchange, checks or other instruments in writing which in his said
judgment may be necessary or proper to be so signed, executed or endorsed
in our or either of our names; and also in our or either of our names to
receipt for and receive any letter, package or parcel from the post office, and
appoint and authorize any person to so receive and receipt for same,
hereby ratifying and confirming all that our said attorney or his substitute
shall lawfully do or cause to be done, either by our act, or the act of either
of us through him, his own act, or the act of such substitute by virtue
hereof.

26 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

Upon the receipt of the telegram announcing the revolt Mr.
Dowie immediately started on his return journey to Chicago,
threatening the conspirators with dreadful punishment. He
arrived in Chicago, April loth, broken in health, and decided to
wait further developments before entering Zion City.

During the month of April the counsel which Mr. Dowie en
gaged presented in the Circuit Court of Lake County, Illinois,
his Bill in Chancery fully setting forth the case of Mr. Dowie
vs. Wilbur Glenn Voliva, et al.

This Mr. Dowie caused to be printed and circulated in Zion
City just prior to April 22nd, the date of his intended entry.
However the injunction of the court which he had procured
did not give him the right to use the Tabernacle at Zion City
until April 29th, and he deferred his entry into the city until
the 28th. He addressed a number of his followers in Shiloh
Tabernacle Sunday afternoon, April 29th, but had indifferent
success in stemming the tide of revolt.

In Witness Whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals the 13th
Day of February, in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred
and Six.

JOHN ALEX. DOWIE, J. A. D. (Seal.)
JANE DOWIE. (Seal.)

Signed, Sealed and Delivered in presence of

0. W. REECE, Witness for John Alex. Dowie.
A. J. GLADSTONE DOWIE, For Jane Dowie.

STATE OF ILLINOIS, County of Lake, ss.

1, V. V. Barnes, a Notary Public in and for said County and State, do
hereby certify that Jane Dowie, personally known to me to be the same
person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing instrument, appeared be
fore me on this day in person and acknowledged that she signed, sealed
and delivered the said instrument as her free and voluntary act for the
uses and purposes therein set forth, including the release and waiver of
the right of homestead.

Given under my hand and Notarial Seal this 21st day of February,
A. D. 1906.

V. V. BARNES,

Notary Public.
V. V. Barnes, Notary Public, Lake County, 111.

INTRODUCTION 27

The new regime under Mr. Voliva has done everything
possible to break down the hold of the former head of Zion by
affirming and reaffirming the mismanagement and waste of
which he was guilty. They have gone so far as to charge
polygamous and immoral teachings and intentions to the man
whom a few months before they reverenced as the First
Apostle. Numerous reforms have already been wrought.
The name of Mr. Dowie has been scratched from the Zion
literature and painted out on the buildings and properties of
Zion. The gorgeous robes and appurtenances of worship with
which Mr. Dowie pleased the fancy of an erstwhile submissive
following have been abandoned. The word * 'apostle" is under
the ban for the time, and "apostolic" has been dropped from
the title of the organization.

Mr. Voliva says they are going to get back to the simple
and biblical organization of the church as first organized. All
nonsense will be dropped. One man rule will no longer be
possible. A cabinet will henceforth administer the ecclesias
tical affairs of Zion. Meanwhile litigation has been begun by
Mr. Dowie to recover the leadership and properties of Zion.

There have been a large number of desertions and with
drawals since the beginning of the revolt, and yet the main
body of the people seem to be loyal to w^hat they call "Zion
Teachings" and are giving their support to the new regime.

CHAPTER I.

THE FOUNDER OF ZION.

John Alexander Dowie was born May 25, 1847, at Leith
Street Terrace, Edinburgh, Scotland. He was graduated at
the Arthur Street Academy and at the age of fourteen took a
silver medal for excellence in scholarship. An incident is re
ported to have occurred when he was six years of age which
seemed to indicate both his precociousness and his early fond
ness for religious ideas. He asked his mother why he was
called John and Alexander and was told that these were ances
tral names. But the lad was not satisfied, his curiosity still
persisting to know the meaning of the names. He was sent
to the Bible Dictionary, where he learned that his names had
the meaning "Grace of God" and "Helper of men." His
child mind was quickened by the thought that these names
indicated his mission in life, and he says he has lived in that
faith since that very hour. *

In 1860 his parents moved to Adelaide, South Australia, and
he was put to work with his uncle, an importer, doing such
general work as a boy would ordinarily do. Shortly after he
went to work for his uncle young Dowie made a display of
what has since seemed to be one of his elemental characteris
tics, self-assertiveness, and incidentally high temper. His
uncle sent him for some envelopes and he returned with what
he thought was wanted, but the uncle seemed displeased,
thinking that a different sort had been mentioned. Young
Dowie simply said that no directions had been given, but that
he would go again and secure what was wanted, whereupon
his uncle became angered at what seemed insubordination.

*L. of H., Vol. 16, No. 20, p. 634. Interview of Mr. Dowie, Havana,
Cuba.

THE FOUNDER OF ZION 29

His rebuke of the boy was the occasion of the display, for the
boy picked up a bootjack and brandished it threateningly,
making his uncle so fearful of bodily harm as to leave the
office. He spoke afterward of the fiendish temper of the lad,
saying that if he continued along that line he would come to
the gallows. His business ability developed early and he soon
secured a place as clerk in the counting house of a wholesale
dry goods firm. When he returned to Scotland in 1868 he
had a thorough business training, altho just coming of age,
having worked up to the position of accountant and then to
junior partner of the firm.

For two 37ears he studied in Edinburgh in university and
theological schools with such teachers as Blackie and Calder-
wood, taking up the classics, and the political sciences.* He
returned to Australia in 1870 and was ordained to the ministry
as pastor of the Congregational Church at Alma, near
Adelaide.

The next year he was called to Sydney to be pastor of the
Manly Church and subsequently to a larger church at New
ton, a suburb of Sydne}7. Here he mingled in politics, be
coming leader of the social reform party. He helped bring
about an undenominational compulsory and free system of
education for New South Wales. It was during this period
of his life that Mr. Dowie was especially active intemperance
work. He was offered a position in the cabinet of Sir Henry
Parks, and he proudly refers to this later in life as having
been his opportunity of entering upon the career of a great
statesman had he so chosen.

* Memorandum received trom the University of Edinburgh:
"John Alexander Dowie was enrolled as a student in the Faculty of Arts
in this University in Sessions 1869-70 and 1870-71. He entered his name
etc., in the Marticulation Album thus: 1869-70. John Alexander Dowie,
Edinburgh, 22; Arts, first year. 1870-71. John Alexander Dowie, Adel
aide, South Australia, 23; Arts, second year. In the former Session he
attended Junior Latin and Junior Greek; in the latter Session he attended
Logic and Moral Philosophy."

3o JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

In 1878 he conceived the notion that it was wrong for a
minister to take a salary and went into evangelistic work, de
pending upon voluntary offerings.

In 1882 he went to Melbourne and established a large inde
pendent church, building a Tabernacle. About this time
there was a change in the character of his ministry, and he
became a firm believer in Divine Healing in direct answer to
prayer. He himself gives the account as follows, in his tract:

THE GOSPEL OF DIVINE HEALING AND HOW I CAME TO PREACH IT.

Jesus the Christ is the same today as when He trod the Holy Land,
blessing the fainting, scattered, burdened sheep of God with words of life.
And still He journeys over all the earth and never wearies of His loving
task. He binds up still the broken, bleeding hearts, He still delivers
from the tyrant's fetters, and from himself, the Fountain, healing virtue
still is flowing. With outstretched hands He stands, quick to respond to
thine appeal and banish all thy woe. Unseen, but "with us always," as
He said, He stands beside thy bed of weary pain. Loved ones bend over
thee, and minister with sympathetic care; but nearer than all beside is
Jesus, thy Savior and thy Healer still. The Hand that cleansed the foul
ness of the leper's flesh and made it sweet and clean; the Hand that made
the deaf to hear; the blind to see, the lame to leap, the dumb to speak;
the Hand which raised the dead to life is here; no vanished Christ have
we. Oh, wherefore doubt, and wherefore seek at other hands, from surgeon's
knife or poison draught; the healing which He died to bring to thee, to me,
to all mankind, in every age, in every land, in ever clime? Christ changes
never.

At noontide, eighteen years ago, I sat in my study in the parsonage of
the Congregational Church at Newton, a suburb of the beautiful city of
Sydney, Australia. My heart was very heavy, for I had been visitingthe
sick and dying beds of more than thirty of my flock, and I had cast the
dust to its kindred dust into more than forty graves within a few weeks.
Where, oh where was He who used to heal His suffering children? No
prayer for healing seemed to reach His ear, and yet I knew His hand had
not been shortened. Still it did not save from death even those for whom
there was so much in life to live for God and others. Strong men, fathers,
good citizens, and more than all, true, faithful Christians sickened with a
putrid fever, suffered nameless agonies, passed into delirium, sometimes
with convulsions, and then died.

And oh, what aching voids were left in many a widowed orphaned
heart. Then there were many homes where, one by one, the little

THE FOUNDER OF ZION 31

children, the youths and the maidens were stricken, and, after hard
struggling with the foul disease, they, too, lay cold and dead. It seemed
sometimes as if I could almost hear the triumphant mockery of fiends
ringing in my ear whilst I spoke to the bereaved ones the words of Chris
tian hope and consolation. Disease, the foul offspring of its father, Satan,
and its mother, Sin, was defiling and destroying the earthly temples of
God's children, and there was no deliverer.

And there I sat with sorrow-bowed head for my afflicted people, until
the bitter tears came to relieve my burning heart. Then I prayed for
some message, and oh, how I longed to hear some words from Him who
wept and sorrowed for the suffering long ago, the Man of Sorrows and of
Sympathies. And then the words of the Holy Spirit inspired in Acts 10:38
stood before me all radiant with light, revealing Satan as the defiler and
the Christ as the Healer. My tears were wiped away, my heart was
strong, I saw the way of healing, and the door thereto was opened wide,
and so I said, "God help me now to preach the word to all the dying
round, and tell them how 'tis Satan still defiles, and Jesus still delivers,
for 'He is just the same to-day.' '

A loud ring and several loud raps at the outer door, a rush of feet, and
then at my door two panting messengers who said, "Oh, come at once
Mary is dying; come and pray." With just such a feeling as a shepherd
has who hears that his sheep are being torn from the fold by a cruel wolf,
I rushed from my house, ran hatless down the street, and entered the
room of a dying maiden. There she lay groaning, grinding her clenched
teeth in the agony of the conflict with the destroyer, the white froth,
mingled with her blood, oozing from her pain distorted mouth. I looked
at her and then my anger burned. "Oh," I thought, "for some sharp
sword of heavenly temper keen to slay this cruel foe who is strangling
that lovely maiden like an invisible serpent, tightening his deadly coils
for a final victory."

In a strange way it came to pass; 1 found the sword I needed was in
my hands, and in my hand 1 hold it still, and never will I lay it down.
The doctor, a good Christian man, was quietly walking up and down the
room, sharing the mother's pain and grief. Presently he stood at my side
and said, "Sir, are not God's ways mysterious?" Instantly the sword was
flashing in my hand, — the Spirit's Sword, the Word of God, "God's

way !" I said, pointing to the scene of conflict, "How dare, you, Dr. K ,

call that God's way of bringing his children home from earth to heaven ?
No, sir, that is the Devil's work, and it is time we call on Him who came
to 'destroy the work of the Devil,' to slay that deadly foul destroyer,
and to save the child. Can you pray, Doctor, can you pray the prayer of
faith that saves the sick?"

At once, offended at my words, my friend was changed, and saying,

32 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

"You are too much excited, sir, 'tis best to say God's Will be done," he
left the room.

Excited ! The word was quite inadequate, for I was almost frenzied
with Divinely imparted anger and hatred of that foul destroyer, disease,
which was doing Satan's will. "It is not so," I exclaimed, "no will of God
sends such cruelty, and I shall never say God's Will be done to Satan's
works, which God's own son came to destroy, and this is one of them."

Oh, how the Word of God was burning in my heart: "Jesus of Naz
areth went about doing good and healing ALL THAT WERE OPPRESSED
OF THE DEVIL: for God was with Him." And was not God with me?
and was not Jesus there, and all His promise true? I felt that it was
even so, and turning to the mother 1 inquired: "Why do you send for
me?" to which she answered: "Do pray, oh pray for her, that God may
raise her up."

Ana so we prayed. What did I say? It may bethat I cannot now recall the
words without mistake, but words are in themselves of small importance.
The prayer ot faith may be a voiceless prayer, a simple heartfelt look of
confidence into the face of the Christ. At such a moment words are few;
but they mean much, for God is looking at the heart. Still 1 can remem
ber much of that prayer unto this day. . . .

And, lo, the maid lay still in sleep, so deep and sweet that the mother
said in a low whisper, "Is she dead!" "No," I answered, in a whisper
lower still, "Mary will live, the fever has gone. She is perfectly well and
sleeping as an infant sleeps." Smoothing the long dark hair from her
now peaceful brow, and feeling the steady pulsation of her heart, and
cool moist hands, I saw that the Christ had heard and that once more, as
long ago in Peter's house, "He touched her and the fever left her." Turn
ing to the nurse I said, "Get me at once, please, a cup of cocoa and
several slices of bread and butter."

Besides the sleeping maid we sat quietly and almost silently until the
nurse returned, and then I bent over her and snapping my fingers said,
"Mary !" Instantly she awoke, smiled and said, "Oh, sir, when did you
come? I have slept so long;" then stretching out her arms to meet her
mother's embrace, she said, "Mother, I feel so well." "And hungry,
too?" I said, pouring out some of the cocoa in a saucer, and offering it
to her when cooled by my breath. "Yes, hungry, too," she answered
with a little laugh, and drank and ate again, and yet again, until all was
gone. In a few minutes she fell asleep, breathing easily and softly.
Quietly thanking God, we left her bed and went out into the next room
where her brother and sister also lay sick of the same fever. With these two
we also prayed, and they were healed. The following day all three were
well, and in a week or so they brought to me a little letter and a little gift
of gold, two sleeve links with my monogram, which I wore for many

THE FOUNDER OF Z1ON 33

years. As I went away from the home where the Christ as the Healer had
been victorious, I could not but have somewhat in my heart of the
triumphant song that rang through heaven, and yet I was not a little amazed
at my own strange doings, and still more at my discovery that "He is
just the same today."

And this is the story of how 1 came to preach the Gospel of Healing
through Faith in Jesus. . . .

It is the Old Time Religion and no new Gospel that is preached. Tis
the Gospel of Jesus' Redemption for spirit, soul and body, bringing Salva
tion from sin, Healing from sickness, and Cleansing from every defile
ment of the flesh and spirit.

Let the word abide in thy heart, "He is just the same today."

And if thou wilt believe Him, first for Salvation and then for Healing,
thou wilt go onward in the King's Highway of Holiness singing the
familiar words with a new meaning, as thou goest along the way
through earth to Heaven.

"Thou, O Christ, art all I want,

More than all in Thee I find,
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,

Heal the sick, and lead the blind."

In this tract we have the story of the beginning of what de
veloped into the real apologetic of his later work, the Christian
Catholic Church in Zion, that is, divine healing. It was from
the experiences of these early years that he evolved slowly his
"ministry of healing." In ten years he laid hands in the
name of the Lord on 18,000 sick and he declares that the
greater part of them were fully healed.

In Melbourne he carried on a crusade against drink and
tobacco, prolific causes of diseases and sin. He defied the
laws prohibiting his street and saloon work and went to jail
until released unconditionally by Governor Loch. He spent
a short time in New Zealand and came to San Francisco June
7, 1888. It was not his original intention to stay there more
than a year, for he desired to tour the United States, pass on
to Europe, and reach Australia in 1891. Circumstances
changed his plans. He found the American people in many
places eager for some new thing, or rather, as we shall see,

34 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

eager to hear more of things about which they already
had more or less definite notions. Two years were spent
upon the Pacific coast, going up and down establishing
branches of the Divine Healing Association, of which he was
president. At this time many of the churches were not hostile
to him, and he addressed his audiences in the church build
ings. He came into open conflict however with the pastors
of Oakland, California, and in this controversy delivered and
subsequently published his scurrilous tract "Divine Healing
Vindicated." When he came to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1890,
he held a service of one month in the First Baptist Church, as
its pastor, Dr. Larnar, was a believer in Divine Healing, or
rather Faith Healing of the A. B. Simpson sort. He arrived
in Chicago in July, 1890, making his headquarters at Evans-
ton until June, 1893. In these three vears he held services in
churches, tents and halls, in many parts of this country and
Canada, meeting with indifferent success, but nearly always
managing to get a hearing. In May, 1893, at the opening of
the World's Fair, he established a Zion's Tabernacle at 251
E. 62nd St., Chicago, opposite Jackson Park. In April,
1894, ne moved his service down town to the Central Music
Hall, and moved his home to more commodious quarters on
Edgerton Avenue. This was known from that time as the
Divine Healing Home No. i, other such healing homes being
established later. In October, 1895, the Auditorium was
secured as the place of the down town meetings. In Novem
ber, 1895, a distinct forward step was taken. He broke away
from the International Divine Healing Association, which he
had been instrumental in organizing, and announced that he
would no longer allow his fellow-believers to remain in the
churches, which had now come to be indifferent or hostile to
his work. This was the beginning of a work independent of
the churches.

At this time a struggle with the Chicago authorities began.
Incited by the doctors and ministers nearly one hundred war
rants were issued for him during 1895, and he claims to have

THE FOUNDER OF ZION 35

spent parts of one hundred and twenty days in court during
the year."4

On January 22, 1896, he called a meeting of all believers
interested in the organization of the Christian Catholic
Church in Zion.f He said before this gathering, which met
in Zion Tabernacle No. 2, that he didn't want to be a schis
matic, but wanted to help people to understand the primitive
Gospel. Quoting from Psalm 67:4, "For thou shalt judge the
people righteously, and govern the people upon the earth,"
he found authority for the founding of a theocracv. "Not a
democracy, the will of the people, but a theocracy, the will of
God" were his words of comment, and finishing the reading,
he said, "Now that is the Word. . . . It is nearly twenty
years since I stepped out of organized ecclesiastical work.
... I never had any ambition to be the originator, the head
or heart of a petty organization, that should be just one more
of the innumerable divisions of Christendom. But I have felt
with a great, broad, catholic sympathy which God gave me
from the beginning, and which God has broadened, and
widened and deepened throughout all the years, that I wanted,
if ever I should return to organized church life, to get back
to its primitive conditions, where the church should be
Catholic, universal, all-embracing, in embracing all who were
in communion with God by repentance and faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ." He then claimed to have put himself in the
absolute keeping of his Heavenly Father, trusting with
absolute confidence to the guidance of the Holy Ghost in the
address he was about to make, and which really was intended
to guide the conference toward organization. His wife, who was
announced as his colleague, and Rev. Dr. Speicher, were then
called on to pray, and these two have been closely associated
since that time with all his plans in organizing and administer
ing the Christian Catholic Church in Zion. The address

*The report of that year of fighting was full of bitternsss on the part of
Mr. Dowie and the forces aligned against him.
t Report of First General Conference. Pamphlet.

36 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

which follows bears marks of as careful if not more careful
preparation than any other of the preserved addresses of Mr.
Dowie.

By a clever use of Scripture he shows where authority
rested in the early church and what the splendid organiz
ing ability of the Apostle Paul did in the New Testament
times. He then likens himself to that Apostle a'nd goes on
to show what he considers the permanent form of organiza
tion for the Church of Christ. Speaking of the Apostle Paul
he says: "He possessed that splendid gift of organizing the
church into a thoroughly compact form, so that it could do a
thousandfold more good than it could as a disorganized mass,
and I pray God tonight that some of that great grace which
rested so mightly upon him will rest upon me. I want it, I
need it, and unless God gives it to me, I can't be of any use.
. . . No one can rejoice more than I can in the fact that God
has given to me this great gift of an unwearied brain and
diligence, and almost unwearied power to do work, and I
think it is just the time where 1 ought to do something of the
highest order." "The Christian Catholic Church in Zion
should be formed" he said "of all persons who are willing to
come together upon this basis: That (i) they recognize the
infallible inspiration and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures as
the rule of faith and practice; that (2) they recognize that no
persons can be members of the church who have not repented
of their sins and have not trusted in Christ for salvation; that
(3) such persons must also be able to make a good profession
and declare that they do know in their own hearts that they
have truly repented, and are truly trusting Christ, and have
the witness, in a measure, of the Holy Spirit, that (4) all
other matters are matters of opinion."

It is interesting to note the declaration of the constitution
of this new church, "in the name of the Lord Jesus, in the
power of the Holj^ Spirit, and in accordance with the will of
God, our heavenly Father, I believe, and believing that I am
thereunto called as the General Overseer of this flock, not

THE FOUNDER OF ZION 37

only in this place but in all the cities and villages and states
and countries where persons have applied or shall apphr for
fellowship, do now constitute this Church as a gathering of
believers under the title of the Christian Catholic Church. I
pray that all ye who are now gathered and all who shall yet
gather into this Church shall fulfill the great design of our Lord
and Saviour, that we may be One as He with the Father is One,
and with the Eternal Spirit, that we may be One in Him.
May this Church be divinely endowed with the nine gifts of
the Holy Ghost, with the word of Wisdom, the word of
Knowledge, Faith, Gifts of Healings, Workings of Miracles,
Prophecy, Discernings of Spirits, Divers kinds of Tongues
and Interpretation of Tongues, and with that gift of Love
which is the crown of all, that precious gift which enables the
Church to fulfill all. Oh with that love let these gifts be
exercised and this Church go on to the glory of God, the
Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the
power of the Holy Spirit."

The conference of January 22nd, and February 8th, 1896,
led up to the one held February 22nd, at which time the
Christian Catholic Church was formed, with John Alexander
Dowie as General Overseer. He predicted that in ten years,
if God would spare his life and he continued to be General
Overseer, the Christian Catholic Church would be the strongest
and wealthiest church that the world has ever seen; he declared
that he intended to build a little city to be called Zion, and that
some day he hoped to stand upon the dome of a Zion Temple
to hold from ten thousand to twenty thousand persons, that
multitudes would come from all nations to be saved, healed
and cleansed.

During 1899 he came to feel that he was doing the work
that was prophesied for the Messenger of the Covenant in
Malachi. After expounding these prophecies he claims to be
the Messenger. (See L. of H. covering the close of the year
1899 and beginning of 1900.).

'I have the right to stand here and say in Zion you have to

38 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

do what I tell you! Oh! The whole church? Yes! the
whole church — Presbyterian, Congregational, Baptist, Epis
copal. It is the most daring thing I ever said. The
time has come; I tell the church universal everywhere, you
have to do what I tell you, Do you hear? You have to do
what I tell you, because I am the Messenger of God's cov
enant."

On June 2nd, 1901, he took the third step in the develop
ment of the Christian Catholic Church in Zion, when, before
an audience of "7*000" * in the Auditorium he announced him
self the Restorer of all things. He said: "You have to do what
I tell you, because what I tell you is in accordance with that
word, and because I am the Messenger of the Covenant, Elijah
the Restorer. The greater portion of his people accepted
this dictum and he is regarded by them as the Prophet Elijah,
come in the office of Restorer." At the Feast of Tabernacles
in Zion City, Illinois, in July, 1903, he took another step: ' I
believe that some of these times there will come such a holy;
sacred and pure unction from on high that we will get to the
place where I shall be able by the Holy Spirit's guidance, act
ing in my prophetic authority, to call out the Apostolic Col
lege, and re-establish the fundamental and perpetual order.
September 18, 1904, he consecrated himself First Apostle and
it has been his intention to consecrate the others in June or
July, 1906. t

This is the fullest claim for divine authority that has been
made in modern times and would only be eclipsed if Mr. Dowie

*7,000 is Mr. Dowie's statement. The actual seating capacity is some
thing over 4,000.

tin the address made January 22, 1906 (Report First Zion Conference)
Mr. Dowie consumed considerable time (pp. 20-25) in endeavoring to show
that the apostolic office was intended to be perpetual in the church. He
says: "In the early church as fast as an apostle died another one was
selected and put in his place, and man after man stepped in to fill up the
apostolic ranks, and therefore the apostolic office was intended to be per
petual in the church." Mr. Dowie appointed himself First Apostle in the
Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion.

THE FOUNDER OF ZION 39

should distinctly declare that he is a re-incarnation of the
Messiah, the Son of God, which many who have watched the
psychology of his development think would have been the next
logical step, had not the condition of his health and the con
sequent loss of prestige together with the financial and moral
failures leading to the revolt under Deputy Overseer Voliva
made it impossible for him to assume and enact that roll.

CHAPTER II.

CHARACTERIZATION.

*

Perhaps the hardest task of the student of religious phenom
ena is to fathom the depths of personality in which religious
ideas originate or take root. When we have gathered all the
possible facts of heredity and environment there still remains
this greatest thing of all, personality, to account for, or
rather, to describe and value as best we may. The large
majority of Mr. Dowie's contemporaries are quick in their
judgment of him, pronouncing him "a charlatan," "a faker,"
"a fanatic," "a humbug," "an actor," "a blackguard," "an
impostor." But this will not answer, at least until we have
shown good reason for coming to such conclusions, since, dur
ing all ages of the Christian Church men have risen as leaders
of sects who have since been similarly villified or estimated by
their contemporaries, and who, as we judge them now im
partially, are seen to be characters from whom mixed in
fluences have come; who have done good as well as harm.

It will hardly do to call John Brown a prophet of righteous
ness, and yet there was some method in his madness which
compels us to regard him as more than a fanatic.

However, in estimating a man of the past we secure as best
we can the clearh7 expressed opinions of his contemporaries,
both enemies and friends, and eliminating the co-efficient of
prejudice when we can ascertain its extent, we arrive at a
balanced valuation. We must then note the streams of in
fluence; the institutions and ideas wrhich he originated or de
flected, or checked. There can be little doubt that the press
as a voice of public opinion would make short work of Mr.
Dowie and pronounce him all bad and his influence inimical to
society. A fair sample of this estimate of the man and his

CHARACTERIZATION 41

work; one which would receive the hearty amen of the vast
majority in the Christian Churches, appeared in the New York
Examiner of October 22nd, 1903, as an editorial. It goes
briefly into the further problem of the people Mr. Dowie leads
and intimates what may be reasons for his great power over
so large a group of people:

ALL THERE IS TO THE REV. JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE.

There are a number of good reasons for Dowie's failure in New York,
not the least among them being that he is a bore. The Overseer of Zion
really has nothing to say, and says that nothing so stupidly that a few
minutes of him suffice to tire ordinarily intelligent people. . . .

There is no mystery about Dowie's succes as a "leader and organizer
of men," as to which so much is written. You have but to see the men
he leads in order to understand him. They are as inferior physically as
mentally. Hardly without exception they are weak-framed, dull-witted
creatures of the sort who crave a master as a dog does. Dowie at Zion
City is the one-eyed King in the country of blind men. He has abounding
vigor, limitless egotism and the exhaustless impudence of the born fakir.
And like all born fakirs, he is as greedy as shameless.

It does Dowie too much honor to suspect him of fanaticism. There is
no sincerity to the man, except in his determination to keep up and in
crease the fine business he has established. He knows that the world is
rich in fools, and he is forever working to get them to enlist in his tithe-
paying army. The larger his army grows the easier it is to add to it, for
the desire to join a parading, singing, and especially a uniformed host,
rises strongly in the unattached nonentity when the brass-banding proces
sion passes. To be one of a sharply bossed and thoroughly drilled corps
is a relief and a delight to the flabby and ignorant, since it exempts them
from the effort to boss themselves.

Dowie is a conscious humbug, whose platform arts do not rise at all
above those of the less ambitious and more sensitive fakirs who sell
patent medicines at night under gasoline torches on the street corners of
country towns. The seeming furies in which he throws himself are trans
parently calculated. They seem to be his chief stock in trade. If he has
capacity for connected and sustained discourse, he has not shown it in
New York. The burst of simulated rage at the newspapers and the clergy
are by way of advertisement. He is aware that the expectation of hearing
him revile eminent persons and belch squalid vituperation at the press will
draw crowds. The kind of notice that he gets from the newspapers, of
which he affects to complain, is precisely the kind of notice he desires and
fishes for. He loves notoriety for its own sake, aside from the money it

42 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

brings him. To have the centre of the stage in the presence of a great
crowd, even though that crowd views him with contemptuous curiosity and
aversion, is to him what a bottle is to a drunkard. He could not endure
obscurity.

Of mountainous vanity, Dowie is destitute of pride, and long ago parted
with self-respect. His love of power is a debasing passion. Since as a
regular clergyman he could not rise to distinction, he has sought con-
spicuousness and power by becoming a shouting mountebank, and struts
at the head of his Falstaffian army, gorgeous as a drum major. The
drunkard may prefer champagne, but if champagne is not to be had he
will drink the drippings of beer kegs.

His experience in the pulpit and as a pastor in the days before he became
depraved into what he is gives Dowie special knowledge of how to insult
Christian men and women in their tenderest feelings and to provoke retort
from the clergy, which means advertisement, and advertisement is what
this repulsive charlatan lives by.

It is creditable to the intelligence and moral sense of New York that
failure complete, humiliating and, let it be hoped, smashing, has come to
this preacher whose own prominence and profit are his only gospel.
Dowie in seeking a metropolitan triumph has but pilloried himself. It is
seen that he has no message to humanity; that he is a posturing and bel"
lowing pretender, that he is without intellect, or eloquence, or wit, or zeal
for anything save his own glorification as the leader of a band of human
misfits that would follow any leader who cared to shout orders to them.
It is true that he has business ability, which is not a rare talent, but it is
combined with the cunning and effrontery of the professional fraud.

A coarse-grained, low-minded, shame-bereft money-greedy adventurer,
playing one minute the ecstatic dervish, the next the foul-mouthed, furious,
blackguard— that is Dowie, and all there is to Dowie. New York has
wondered and laughed, and finally been overcome with a disgust in which
there is, and can be, mingled no pity, except for the dupes of so gross and
rapacious an impostor.

This may seem hard, but for a man who has been
accustomed to the kindly spirit usually shown by a speaker
in the presence of an audience, doing him the favor of giving
him a hearing, it does not seem unjust, altho it is not a correct
judgment of his character in all respects. It makes no allow
ance for the element of self-deception.*

* The appearance of Mr. Dowie. In Everybody's Magazine 9: 567,
I. K. Friedman says: "His appearance despite the shortness of his frame,
his tendency to fatness, his bow legs and his baldness is rather attractive.

CHARACTERIZATION 43

If character and spirit are revealed in the words used to
express thoughts, Mr. Dowie is to say the least an extra
ordinary man, for one has but to hear him once, to learn that
he is a master of the vilest invectives, the most offensive bill
ingsgate; that the elemental passions of anger, pride, hate,
selfishness are still uncontrolled in him only a casual observer
would clearly see.

It is interesting to notice his chopped, interjectory st}Tle of
speaking, and cull out a few of his choicest abusive terms.

He really wears the aspect of benevolence and looks the patriarch. . . .
His shoulders are straight and ample, his eyes bright and piercing, his
beard white and flowing. Of his appearance he is extremely vain, show
ing that he is just as human as those who would cure by methods less
divine, and he keeps the official photographer of Zion busy by his constant
posing— now in this position, now in that before the untiring eye of the
camera. . . . His religion is the only ancient institution Dowie will
tolerate; in all else he is rigidly up to the hour. Professing a contempt for
secular institutions and wordly literature he yet inconsistently sends
daughter and son to the best among our American Universities. . . . The
things rendered unto Elijah the Second are shrewedly invested by Elijah
the Restorer for the benefit of John Alexander Dowie. . . . His hobby
is the collection of rare old English magazines that his more worthy forbears
delighted in. His home in Zion City built in the English style of archi
tecture is lavishly furnished, there is a stable full of costly equipages. A
summer home across the lake is maintained in great luxury. Indeed the
man's vanity and love of ostentation find an outlet in innumerable forms
of gaudy and expressive display. By way of justification he is said to
have once remarked that the Pope of Rome is surrounded by the best that
earth can afford and there is no reason why the Overseer of the C. C. C.
should be left a whit behind. . . . His private life has been in accord
ance with the strictest and most conventional moral laws." (This was
the uniform belief of the public so far as I could discover as well as his
people, with perhaps the intimation of certain irregularities in the use of
Zion money, and overbearing tyranny, by those driven out of Zion until
the transfer of the property by Overseer Voliva and the return of Mr.
Dowie from Mexico. Then the charges of immorality were first hinted by
the usurping officers of Zion.) "One is told of the Restorer's physical
cowardice hid under an air of bravado, of hisfear of lightning and thunder.
Constantly near him is a body guard of strong men, and he maintains a
vigilant secret service department."

44 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

An analysis of this large output of indecent epithets shows
poverty of invention, but earnestness in utterance. A New
York editor has pointed out that in his Madison Square Gar
den harangues there are at least thirty-five epithets used,
eleven, or thirty per cent, being variations of the uncompli
mentary designation of an adversary as "a dog." "Cur,"
"hound," "dirty yellow dogs," "dirty hungry dogs," "stupid
dogs," hungry filthy curs," give an idea of what use Mr. Dowie
makes of this term. The animal kingdom is further drawn on
until it is almost incredible that any audience of ordinarily
decent people could tolerate his spoken address. "Flies,"
"rats," "lice," "maggots," "pigs," "swine," with certain
variation, frequent!}' occur in his speeches.*

Lacking in inventiveness he time after time uses a form of
epithet grown familiar to all who go to hear him, "stinkpot,"
"whiskey pot," "beer pot," and "drug pot." This is suf
ficient to indicate that the language of the gutter falls readily
from the lips of Mr. Dowie. (It is true that the worst of
these terms occur in the later years of his ministry, being the
outcome in part, at least, of the opposition and abuse and
ridicule to which the "prophet" has been subjected. In ad
dition however to indicating lack of poise and true self-pos
session, they show the degeneracy or tendency to degeneracy
of his moral character. This point is discussed more fulh7 later.

It is generally conceded that a man's writings are more
carefully worded and furnish materials for estimating the
man's guarded moments. They show him when studied by
true methods of criticism, as he is willing to be known. Mr.
Dowie's publications are less tinctured with such foulness,
but they breathe a spirit of braggadocio, of conceit, of absolute
confidence in himself, of presumption, and of shamelessness.t

* Mrs. Dowie told me that during his New York visitation he very
greatly overworked being on the go from 5 a. m. until midnight taking
charge of three large meetings each day and that his irritability was to be
accounted for at least partially by this fact.

f The evolution or devolution of his character is reflected in his words,
plans and achievements.

CHARACTERIZATION 45

His pamphlet "The Gospel of Divine Healing and How I
came to preach it," quoted in full on pages 30-33 takes us into
an atmosphere entirely different from his spoken discourse.

Compared with other personal statements, those of men
whose sincerity and worth are undoubted, this pamphlet cer
tainly carries a tone of sincerity and an atmosphere of truth.
As to the question of the healing it describes no facts are at
hand, but from the statement he has given, this man evidently
felt himself discovering, and using effectively, a power which is
not ordinarily claimed, and in a tone of perfect confidence says
he has found Christ's power to heal, "just the same today."
The reverence, fair degree of modesty, earnestness, and
absolute confidence, indicate that in beginning his ministry of
healing as he terms it, Mr. Dowie was sincere, and felt that
he possessed a real message which he was bound to pro
claim.

When he appeared in America in 1888 he came to spread be
lief in divine healing by a personal ministry, and healing was the
main element in his preaching, altho he was at that time quite
bald, a sign of imperfect health.* I am aware that there is a
difference of opinion at this point, but the statement that hair
disease indicates imperfect health and ought to be included in
"all diseases" is certainly true. He then knew that healing
of all manner of sickness and disease was an impossibility,
for he did not heal himself of this disease of the scalp. t What

* "The Dr. suffers from dyspepsia and frequently can't keep his food
down, but the rank and file don't know this. 1 was driving with him
once on Lake Shore drive and he had to part company with his dinner
over the side of the carriage." (Letter from former Lace Factory Manager
—extract.) It is hardly to be questioned that in addition to his baldness,
and the wearing of glasses, that Mr. Dowie has been far from well at
times, altho making constantly the public statement that he was an en
tirely well man. This recent sickness of his in which he has had the at
tendance of a physician is not the first instance in which he has not been
able to make his extravagant claims for divine healing good in his own
case.

tin the incident of his daughter's death Mr. Dowie does not appear

46 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

influence this knowledge had on his moral nature, it is not
possible to say, but it must have been toward the blunting of
his conscience, if he reflected upon its inconsistency with his
teaching's. Perhaps however this was not a drawback to his
full belief — and honest belief, in his teaching concerning divine
healing.

The success which attended his preaching of divine healing
and the number of persons ready and eager to hear, changed
his purpose of passing through the United States and return
ing to Melbourne. Mr. Dowie was an opportunist at this
stage of his career — his success emboldened him. He suc
ceeded in securing a large following, in arresting public at
tention and had a widespread newspaper notoriety. When
the idea of calling his followers out of the churches into a dis
tinct organization took hold of him is not known, but he feels
his way carefully, and with an insight that is remarkable,
times every movement to the state of preparedness of his fol
lowers. The cleverness of the man is revealed in the skill
with which he handles his affairs during the period of organiza
tion. While he knew what the claims were that in time he
would make, he shrewdly conceals it under a veil of modesty,
and what can hardly fail to appear as false humility when the
later stupendous claims are made.*

consistent with his claims that all manner of sickness and disease can be
healed, but of course this happened much later — in 1902. He says: "The
only sad loss 1 have had was when one dear child was dead before I got
to her." Here is an untruth and an inconsistency — his daughter was not
dead, but lingered some time after he reached her side— twelve hours
— in any case he knew of her accident and claims that healing can be ac
complished at a distance.

* The question naturally arises, why was Mr. Dowie able to persuade
a sufficient following to leave the existing religious organizations to accept
his doctrines and submit to his plans. The same question is answered in
respect to Joseph Smith and the rise of Mormonism in "The Founder of
Mormonism," Chapter II, I. W. Riley, in so far as it relates to conditions
favorable to Smith existing in western New York at the time of his
visions. We will discuss it under the heading, The People of Zion.

CHARACTERIZATION 47

In his address of January 22, 1896,* he sets forth the
Divine organization of the church, i Cor. 12:28 reads: "And
God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily
prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of
healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." He
says "Now then, what is the way of perfect wisdom as to the
order of the church? What is the first office God has
established?" Answer, "Apostles." The second?" "Proph
ets." "The third?" "Teachers." "Now then, did God
form a church with these officers?" "He did." "is that the
order of the church of God?" "it is." "Does the church of
God ever alter?" "No." "Can the church of God be ac
ceptable to Christ if it is not organized after His own order?"

"No."t

"Now the question arises, is the Apostolic office a perpetual
one?" ... "I affirm that the church cannot be changed
and cannot be Catholic unless it is Apostolic. The apostolic
office must be declared as belonging to the church, if we shall
form a church and it shall be declared to be a perpetual office.
It is our duty to declare that the church of God shall eventu
ally and as speedily as possible, be so organized. We have
nothing to do with consequences. God will call his apostles
in his own time and way by the Holy Spirit."

An exposition of the idea of the permanence of the apostolic,
prophetic and teaching office follows, in which Mr. Dowie
asserts that every apostle was also a prophet and a teacher. t
In the address of February 5, 1896, he says in speaking of the
continuance of inspiration, "in regard to this, I say, that if I

* Reprints of Report of First and Second Conference held in 1896 look
ing towards the formation of the C. C. C., L. of H., Vol. 15, No. 21.
p. 209.

tThe people respond in unison— a common way he has of securing ap
probation in anything whatever he has in mind. It is remarkable with
what promptness and unanimity his people reply to his questions. All
this is a general line of evidence for believing them highly suggestible.
See Chapter People of Zion.

t L. of H., September 10, 1904, pp. 709-10.

48 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

am God's minister in this matter, and I write to you something
that is in accord with Scripture, then you are bound to receive
that just as much as if the Apostle Paul wrote it. You will
please to observe my qualifications. If I write to you some
thing that is in perfect accord with the word of God I have just
as much right to write that as the Apostle Paul had to write.
Not to add to the word of God, but to explain and apply it."

Rev. Dr. Burns asks the question, "Are we then to under
stand if there should be some future apostles, that we are to
build upon them, as upon the First Apostles?"

Mr. Dowie: . . . "The same organization is just as
necessary today as it was nineteen centuries ago. That is
the position." Mr. Marsh, "if we are worthy of the office,
the office will come to us, and if we are not, it won't."

Mr. Dowie: "I am not claiming any office; no man has
heard me claim any office. I am a teacher and have taken no
other place. I have not stood here claiming to be recognized
as a prophet. I have not stood here claiming to be recognized
as an apostle. I have stood here as an authoritative teacher.
If I am a leader, I am a leader. If I am a teacher, I am a
teacher. If I am a prophet, I am a prophet. If I am an
apostle, I am an apostle. I am so whether you recgnize it
or not. I am so whether I recognize it or not. I am just
what God made me, and at this moment I claim no prophetic
or apostolic office power. I said in my first address, dis
tinctly and positively, that I did not see the apostles."

Mr. Calverly then makes quite a speech and among other
things says * "in regard to one point: I remember Dr. Dowie
saying in a kind of sad and gloomy way; 'I don't know that I
can see any of the apostles yet,' but I think I can see one, and I
think he is the chief of modern apostles," looking to Dr.
Dowie amid great applause. t

* L. of H. Vol. 15, No. 21, pp. 717-18.

t Notice the consummate skill of Mr. Dowie as a "Promoter." He
edited of course all reports from which the quotations are taken.

CHARACTERIZATION 49

Dr. Dowie: "I have not the slightest idea, not the
slightest, but that our dear Brother Calverly spoke with that
perfect honesty which has always characterized him, and that
he would not have been guilty, for a moment, of flattery. I
would despise a man who would attempt to flatter me, and I
do not imply, for a moment, but what Brother Calverly was
perfectly honest in proclaiming me to be an apostle."

"But I am too perfectly honest when with no mock humility
I say to you, from my heart, I do not think I have reached a
deep enough depth of true humility, ... for the high office of
apostle, such as he had reached who would say and mean it
too, 'I am less than the least of all saints, and not worthy to
be called an apostle.' But if my good Lord can ever get me
low enough in self-abasement, and self-effacement, to be truly
what I want to be, and hope in a measure I am, 'a servant of
the servants of the Lord,' why then I should bean apostle by
really becoming the servant of all. ... If I should be
called to that office, I feel I should be called in the depth of
my heart to die. I do not think I am afraid to die for Christ; I
live for him. . . . I do not know if any persons here have got
a notion in their minds that the apostolic office means a high
pompous position, wearing a tiara and swaying a scepter, if so
they are entirely wrong. It means a high position truly, but
the power of one who can take the lowest place." This really
seems like humor in the light of subsequent developments. If
Mr. Dowie has ever shown any real humility, either before or
after it has not been very evident to most impartial readers of
the Leaves of Healing, or hearers of Mr. Dowie.

"I think some of you have got a very false conception of
power in the church of God. Power in the church of God is
not like power in the government of the United States, where
a man climbs to the top of a pyramid of his fellows to the
acme of his ambition, and there makes it fulfill his personal
pride and purpose. Power in the church of God is shown in
this, that a man shall get lower, and lower, and lower, until
he can put his very spirit, soul and body underneath the

50 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

miseries and at the feet of a sin-cursed and disease-smitten
humanity and live and die for it — this is what I understand by
Apostolic office." (Great applause.)

From these quotations, which are made at length purposely
to show Mr. Dowie's spirit, we see that he affects an unwill
ingness to be more than a teacher, and claims no prophetic
power. True, some of his people would go ahead of him and
regard him as an apostle, but by prophet and apostle his fol
lowers did not then understand what Mr. Dowie had in mind. In
time he would claim to be Elijah the Restorer, and the First
Apostle, really standing in the place of Christ to the Christian
Catholic Church of his organizing.

We can almost look into his mind and say he knew this to
be the outcome and that he hyprocritically feigned a lowliness
that shrunk back from this place of power, when his every
subsequent action has shown him to thirst for authority and
power. The wonder is that his followers, even the more in
telligent of his officers, (excepting an occasional objector, who
is summarily dealt with and dismissed from Zion) accepted
his absolutism as perfectly right and proper.* Mr. Dowie in
1896 may have "doubted whereunto this thing would grow,"
but to whatever extent it did grow he was clearly determined
to be the head. Every element introduced into the reports are
calculated to strengthen his hold upon a people alread}T in
clined to have him for a leader. Added to great patience in
biding his time is a shrewdness bordering upon hyprocricy,
which led an unwary following, step by step, to the place
where they must accept the alternative of renouncing him en
tirely, or giving him more authority, until he came to be strong
enough to assume absolute authority, and then point back to
the beginning of his movement and show that such had been
the drift of events from the first. It is analogous to the way
the claim of papal infallibility was supported after the dogma

* Since writing this 1 learned from Mrs. Dowie that there has been
an undercurrent of objection altho no one seemed to dare oppose him
openly.

CHARACTERIZATION 51

had been enunciated, and is a familiar phenomenon in history.*

* There was a significant remark made by Mr. Dowie in this same Con
ference, Feb. 5, 1896. (L. of H., September 10, 1904, p. 715) showing his
shrewdness: "My address upon organization, and the basis of organization
as set forth in the address of January 22, 1896, are open, not for discussion
by those who are not prepared to associate themselves with us, because
we have not any time to hear them, but for any intelligent remarks, and
for questions, by those who are in sympathy with us, and who have a
desire, if they can see with us, to go forward in the organization of this
church." Here we see that one who was not in full sympathy with the
movement was not to speak. It has been demonstrated time and again
that if a leader of any movement can prevent dissenting voices being
heard, the appearance of unanimity will bring many, otherwise undecided,
into the movement. Mr. Dowie was ever awake to psychological moments
for presenting his plans, and always saw to it that the atmosphere would
favor his projects. A friend of mine was compelled to leave a divine
healing meeting of Mr. Dowie's because he said plainly, when asked, that
he didn't believe in such healings at all.

CHAPTER III.

CHARACTERIZATION. CONTINUED.

The claim is made that the early conference resulted in only
a provisional organization, and that the organization of the
church as it came to exist, with John Alexander already
declared Apostle, the others to be selected,* was clearly in
tended to be the ultimate outcome of the steps taken in 1896.

In a personal letter, Leaves of Healing of September 10,
1904, which is by its position in the paper, evidently
apologetic, and designed to make "straight the path" for the
First Apostle, Mr. Dowie himself says, "These reports t
will give careful readers a clear view of the evolution of the
Christian Catholic Church in Zion, in one city, of less than
five hundred members, to a world-wide church, numbering
scores of thousands of members. . . . They also trace the
Divine evolution, by the Holy Spirit, of their leader from a
Christian teacher and the prophet of the Restoration into a
divinely-commissioned Apostle. ... As the teacher of the
Christian Catholic Church in Zion, ... I continued to
develop practically these principles in my ministry, and God
used me to prepare the church for the declaration of June 2,
1901. I there stood forth before an immense audience in the
Chicago Auditorium and declared that God had sent me as John

*On December 18, 1905, when Mr. Dowie, because of failing health,
abdicated his place of supreme power in Zion and gave the temporal
matters into the care of a triumvirate, Overseer Speicher, Judge V. V.
Barnes, and Deacon Granger, he also saw the necessity of indicating who
the other apostles would be and so declared that those whom he should
select would be raised to that dignity the following summer, 1906.

t Reports of conferences of ordained officers on the subject of the restora
tion of the Apostolic office to the church.

CHARACTERIZATION 53

the Baptist had been sent, in the 'Spirit and power of Elijah.'
... I have prepared the church for the declaration, which,
God permitting, I shall make on Lord's day afternoon, Sep
tember i8th, in Shiloh Tabernacle, Zion City, as the divinely-
commissioned First Apostle of the Christian Catholic Apostolic
Church in Zion."

One who holds office in Zion said to me "this isn't unex
pected; this declaration that Dr. Dowie is the First Apostle;
the well-informed in Zion have known it all along;" and Mr.
Dowie's own word's are "I have prepared the church for the
declaration." Mr. Dowie had it planned; the well-informed
knew; the people had to be prepared. We cannot escape the
coviction that Mr. Dowie had foresight and shrewdness of an
extraordinary sort. The majority of his followers at the
organization of the Christian Catholic Church little dreamed
such would be the outcome, and the mass of those who have
been made followers since, came into his church scarcely
giving it a thought. But they have been "prepared." Bold
ness in conception and patience in execution are immediately
seen to be among Mr. Dowie's characteristics. He is not
simply the child of accident, altho this he was when he dis
covered the success of his divine healing schemes in this
country. He is a man of power, for it required great skill to
take advantage of this discovery, and turn it to such good
account in the founding and furthering of his enterprises. He
clearly proves in this his ability, and his followers can justly
claim that their leader is a great man. A cartoon in this same
copy of the Leaves of Healing, September 10, 1904, indicated
that Mr. Dowie had the conception of the present organiza
tion of Zion when he addressed the conference in Chicago,
January 22, 1896, before the temporary organization had been
formed. In the cartoon is a large stone building represent
ing a power house, with the words "Apostolic Organization"
over the arched doorwa}7, and a flag flying above the roof with
the words "Apostolic Power House." Scaffoldings in front
are labelled, "Temporary organization Christian Catholic

54 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

Church in Zion." A wooden building of smaller dimensions
at one side flies the flag ' 'Temporary organization, Prophetic
Ministry." In one corner is given a quotation from Mr.
Dowie's speech of January 22, 1896: "I affirm that the
church cannot be Christian, and cannot be Catholic, unless it
is Apostolic. The Apostolic office must be declared as belong
ing to the church . . . and it shall be declared to be a per
petual office. It is our duty to declare that the church of God
shall eventually, and as speedily as possible, be so organized.
We have nothing to do with consequences. God will call His
apostles in His own time and way by the Holy Spirit."

Mr. Dowie may have become "intoxicated with notoriety"
and this intoxication may in part account for his bold assump
tions, but that forethought, practical sagacity, and cleverness
of execution and administration are seen in this carefully
planned and administered movement none can deny. He had
great ability and manifest power to bring things to pass with
a large measure of success. His executive and administrative
ability could easily exist apart from any question of sincerity or
duplicity, but there must be sufficient motive for his persist
ence and patient working out of his plans. In the preaching
of divine healing it is clear from the apologetic cited t that he

* In this same cartoon at one side Mr. Dowie is standing by a work
bench marked "Restoration Work Bench" with carpenter's tools to repre
sent "The Master Builder." He is unrolling what represents his specifica
tions which read: "So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but
ye are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ himself being
the chief cornerstone," Eph. 2: 19, 20. The cartoon is really clever and, just
as does every advertisement or publication that goes forth from Zion, it
lauds Mr. Dowie and furnishes suggestion to establish in the minds of
Zion's people the importance, wisdom and power of their leader. The
cartoonist in Zion, Deacon Champe, who illustrates Mr. Dowie's ad
dresses or some special announcement, has excellent ability and Mr.
Dowie with keen insight has made use of the "wisdom of the children
of the world" in attracting the attention of outsiders to his Zion.

t Pages 30-33.

CHARACTERIZATION 55

began it in all sincerity, . and developed what he terms his
gospel of "salvation, healing and holy living" from an honest
conviction that he was restoring neglected truths of the Bible
to their rightful place. The secret of much of his tenacity, en
durance, persistence, fearlessness and success, is found in the
fact that he began as he verily believed by hearing and heed
ing God's call in circumstances and in the Bible. Accepting
the Bible as he evidently does as a code of authority, in a
literal, legalistic way, (and he has plenty of company in this
among better balanced interpreters) he has found materials
upon which to build his system of "salvation, healing and holy
living," without any twist of conscience, however much his
judgment might err in the interpretation of particular passages,
and his philosophy be at fault. Entire moral consistency is
possible to him even while holding and teaching the doctrines
upon which he lays special emphasis. People of absolutely
unquestioned moral consistency had been teaching ' 'divine heal
ing" and kindred ideas, "tobacco as a cause of disease," "sick
ness caused by sin and Satan," "poisonous effects of oysters
and swine's flesh," long before Mr. Dowie began his career
in this country. Nearly every one of the ideas of Mr. Dowie
on these subjects are presented in the pamphlets published by
Evangelist J. J. Scruby of Dayton, Ohio, and the same
Biblical authority quoted in their support. Yet Mr. Scruby
has no faith in the Christian Catholic Church in Zion move
ment of Mr. Dowie.

We are compelled to think therefore that in coming to the
place where he felt it a duty to preach "divine healing" and
its corollary "holy living," Mr. Dowie was at least sincere,
and furthermore that in continuing the proclamation of these
ideas after his success was assured, he does so from moral con
viction. What mixture of other motives there may be to make
him continue insisting upon these ideas can only be partially
ascertained. These teachings are found to influence certain
classes who thus further his general plan of building up an
immense industrial movement. Divine healing," which

56 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

arrests the attention, and "clean living," which enlists the
interest of many in the churches who can furnish capital for
his commercial enterprises, are preached with even greater
emphasis, since they are seen to be effective.

So Mr. Dowie has created for himself a double moral con
sciousness, on the one hand conscientious!}' following the bid
ding of a legalistically interpreted code of authority, the
Bible, and doing what a mistaken interpretation leads him to
feel his duty, because an accidental incident brought it to his
attention. On the other, intoxicated with success, and power,
he has come to feel himself in an extraordinary way a chan
nel of God's grace to the world; is morally insane enough to be
lieve in his own greatness, and to use every means available,
deception and hypocrisy included, to further his will, which he
has confounded with that of God. He preaches his three-fold
gospel of "salvation, healing and holy living" conscientiously,
and not a small part of his power rests upon the ethical force
of his teachings as well as upon the hope of healing his fol
lowers have. He genuinely believes in himself, indeed so
firmly does he believe in himself that in his consciousness he
has identified himself with Elijah, honestly believing that he
is a re-incarnation of that personage. We call this self-decep
tion for want of a better term, but whatever it is, it wonder
fully reinforces his mental and moral nature to have a con
sciousness of this kind.

In regard to the title Elijah he says "The name is not a

title; it is a reality. I firmly believe in common with tens of

thousands of my followers that I have been sent by God in the

Spirit and power of Elijah' as the third and last manifestation

of that prophet.

The first manifestation was in Elijah (which means
Jehovah is my God) twenty-eight centuries ago, when the
worship of Baal was triumphant in Israel. This was Elijah
the Destro}Ter.

The second manifestation was in the person of John the
Baptist. Matthew 13:14. He was Elijah the Preparer.

CHARACTERIZATION 57

"The third manifestation of Elijah is in my person, of whom
Christ spoke, after John the Baptist's death, when he admitted
the correctness of the rabbinical contention 'Elijah must first
come,' saying 'Elijah indeed cometh and shall restore all
things.' I am Elijah the Restorer."

One cannot listen to Mr. Dowie and doubt his sincerity of
belief in himself and his work. If he has "hypnotized his fol
lowers," as his critics claim, he has doubly hypnotized him
self. He has certainly come to believe that he is Elijah and
has come to this conviction by the law of suggestion. Perhaps
we can trace the steps leading to this particular conviction,
which is more than a hallucination, for he has lived with it, at
least since June, 1901. The Bible is his authority. Whatever
he thinks it enjoins it is easy to accept as a duty. It taught
"divine healing" as he thought. It gave the form of the
primitive church organization, which called for apostles,
prophets, and teachers. It spoke of a restorer of all things,
and among these divine healing and primitive officers and
powers were to be included. This restorer would be, accord
ing to Jesus, none other than Elijah. Mr. Dowie had already
restored divine healing and a true conception of primitive
organization, (as he thought) and was placing emphasis upon
repentance and holy living, primitive doctrines. The thought
may have come to Mr. Dowie, first, "I am he," that is Elijah
the Restorer, suggested by these circumstances and apparent
coincidences between his "restoring" and the work of the pre
dicted ' 'restorer. ' ' Or it may have come to some of his followers
more susceptible to suggestion by circumstances. Among the
"tens of thousands" of his people, of whom he speaks as be
lieving "that I have been sent by God 'in the spirit and power
of Elijah.' " there were some "well-informed ones" who had
suggested to Mr. Dowie that he was indeed "that prophet."
If the suggestion came first through his seeing the relation
between what he was doing and what he interpreted the scrip
tures as teaching that the predicted Elijah would do, he gladly
welcomed the further suggestion of those of his followers who

58 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

had also seen it, or if it was brought to his attention by his
friends first, he could easily come to see that the scripture
idea of a restorer as he held it coincided with his own character
and work. A conceit and feeling of importance which appears
in all of his published works would only too readily welcome,
entertain and fully adopt the suggestion. Mr. Dowie is self-
hypnotized or hypnotized by his following.

His love of power and notoriety and flattery, the existence
of which need no proving, would furnish reinforcement to the
suggestion.* Thus it becomes a conviction furnishing suf
ficient motive to lead to its public announcement irrespective
of the attitude of hostile critics or the loss of a few followers.

It is because he was drunk with power and love of notoriety,
rather than because of conscious hypocricy, that he yielded
to the suggestion or suggestions.

To an ability for business, and for religious leadership, by
no means mediocre, as proven by the accumulation of a valuable
property,! and the absolute confidence of a growing religious
constituency, is thus added all the inspiration of a conscious
ness that he is fulfilling God's will and doing the work of a
great prophet. Imagine a missionary of more than ordinary
ability, but with some mental or spiritual weakness, led to feel
himself a reincarnation of the Apostle Paul. The glorious
ideal of fearlessness, devotional loyalty to Christ, endurance,
and achievement, found in Paul, would furnish that mission
ary with stimulus sufficient to dare any danger and undertake
any project for evangelizing a world, which he deemed lost
without his message. Add to this ability of the missionary
an insatiable love of power, and thirst for notoriety, and a
conceit for being considered odd and unusual, and you have the
combination which made Mr. Dowie a man of influence — a.
megalomaniac of the more powerful sort.

*His family confess his love for praise and the readiness with which he
has yielded to any who have flattered him.

t It might better be said ability as a promoter as his administrative
ability in business has been shown to have been greatly over-estimated.

CHARACTERIZATION 59

How did he come to add the title of Apostle to that of Over
seer and Prophet? The answer to this does no more than
illustrate the fact that Mr. Dowie is mentally consistent in
carrying out his plans and views of Scripture teaching. The
original authorities in the church he says were apostles,
prophets, teachers. It also illustrates the plausible nature of
Scripture interpretation accepted in Zion. Apostles were
needed to complete the organization of the Christian Catholic
Church. Mr. Dowie, the reincarnation of Elijah and John
the Baptist, (one and the same personality) already the
General Overseer, will of course be one, the first and for a
long time the only. The Ecclesiastical Secretary of Zion ex
plained it to me as follows: "Christ said to the Jews, (speak
ing of John the Baptist), 'What went ye out for to see? A
prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.'
The Overseer who is John the Baptist or Elijah is a prophet
and more than a prophet; if more than a prophet then an
apostle, for that is the only officer in the church greater than
a prophet. Hence, John the Baptist was an apostle."

To be an apostle then does not add anything definite to the
consciousness of Mr. Dowie, who was living already in the
conviction that he is Elijah or John the Baptist, the Restorer.
It only adds one more supposed honor to a man who finds it
his meat and drink to be honored and titled, and he requires
his people to address him as "First Apostle" and to speak of
him as such.

Mr. Dowie has developed the vice of the superlative and
never loses an opportunity to speak of himself or his work in
the most exalted terms. He does this methodically, and it
goes a great way toward duly impressing his people with the
idea that Zion is one of the most wonderful movements in all
history. Before Mr. Dowie's overthrow, a man who inclined
toward Zion said to me that Mr. Dowie must indeed be a man of
God on account of the great success he was having. This
statement was made after quoting some of the statistics Mr.
Dowie had powerfully paaraded in one of his papers. Without

60 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

discussing the fallacy of this reasoning, which a little look into
history would reveal, we notice the fact that Mr. Dowie's
shrewdness in duly impressing his people, and his vanity, are
both displayed in his own account of his affairs, and have had
great influence. Here are samples of his statements:*

"Our mail arriving in great piles, and representing every
land beneath the sun, and every State in this Union, some
times to the number of 2,000 letters a week, the wonderful
and ever-increasing number of requests for prayer which come
to us not only in these letters, but in telegrams and cable
grams, from all parts of the world, for there is not now a
land beneath the sun with which we are not inconstant touch,
i. ~ . thousands upon thousands gather from Sabbath to Sab
bath in Chicago Auditorium and we increasingly find that
through these meetings every part of the United States and
distant lands are influenced." This last was spoken in 1896
when Mr. Dowie's following was not very large, and while he
thus flatters his own vanity he is pumping enthusiasm into
his people.

In a personal letter to his people, dated September 9th,
1904, he acknowledges that in the winter of 1896 he had only
five hundred members in the Christian Catholic Church, hardly
consistent with the statements of the foregoing paragraph.
But he further says "I stand today amidst the glory of the
harvest, surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of educated
experienced people and faithful officers of all ranks; sur
rounded by sweet singers in thousands; . . . surrounded by
tens and tens of thousands of saved and consecrated members
of the Christian Catholic Church in Zion; and surrounded by
more than eight thousand messengers of God in the splendid
organization known as Zion Restoration Host. I stand with
my hands upon the lever which controls many mighty powers,
such as Zion Printing and Publishing House which I use for
God and humanity. I stand in the midst of the City of Zion
with its population of many thousands . . . and where

*L. of H., Vol. 15, No. 21, p. 703.

CHARACTERIZATION 61

thousands of Zion children and youth throng Zion schools and
colleges.*

Mr. Dowie is hardly within the bounds of fact when he says
"tens and tens of thousands;" and when he speaks of "thous
ands of children and youth in Zion City," the spirit of
exaggeration is upon him.

He also took particular pains to call attention to the fact
that thousands came to hear him in New York, while the
preachers who were trying to instruct him how to preach were
in the habit of addressing hundreds. In that city he clearly
demonstrated during the 1903 visitation that he thirsted to
have a multitude giving him attention, and no opportunity
has been allowed to pass since then to refer to the multitudes
who came to hear, but he faiUs to mention the sensational and
disgraceful means employed to bring out a curiosity smitten
crowd. t

In addresses given in Carnegie Hall, New York, Novem
ber 6th; 1903, Mr. Dowie in one of his inflated moments said:
"If I had been as long in New York as I have been in Chicago
I would have settled the other day the question as to who
should be mayor. 'Ho\v?' I will tell you. By securing
thirty or forty thousand votes of godly persons all of whom
would have voted for the best men, irrespective of party.
. . . That is called the balance of power; and I am a great
man for considering the balance of power. If I had been
working here for a number of years I would have had these
thirty thousand men and that would have settled the ques
tion."

It is doubtful whether Mr. Dowie could ever have delivered
to a party boss in the city of Chicago more than two thousand

*If there ever was a man who has made every individual of his follow
ing count somewhere it is Mr. Dowie. The organization has been over-
officered and a vast proportion of its financial outlay has been to keep up
fine appearances, such as, robed choir, guards, robed officers, enormous
expense in photograph plates, etc.

t Consult the files of any of the New York papers, November, 1903,
especially with regard to the disclosures about his own father.

62 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

votes. In this same speech he says: "I am very glad to know
that over all the world Zion City is being admired. Today I
was very much amused in reading an incident in a letter from
Sydney, Australia. The Premier of West Australia, address
ing his colleagues, as they were discussing the question of the
new capitol for Australia, said: "Why don't you get
down to business? I feel inclined to propose that you let the
contract for building this capitol and selecting the site to Mr.
Dowie. He will do it on time.' '

These are sufficient to show when taken along with what
any one can see who attends a service conducted by Mr.
Dowie, that conceit and braggadocio are deeply rooted in him,
appearing under a modesty which affects to attribute all his
achievements to God. *

CHAPTER IV.

CHARACTERIZATION. CONTINUED.

It seems that not many who are in a position to give expert

testimony have made a stud}' of Mr. Dowie. He is generally

; ,,l held by the medical profession to be a superior degenerate.

»ii* .Hi:;x The New York World, October 22, 1903, published what

n :; purported to be the opinion of Dr. E. C. Spitzka, as follows:

"Cases resembling that ot" the gentleman who is now holding forth at
Madison Square Garden are so common and frequent that I do not pay
any attention to them," said Dr. Spitzka. "But John Alexander Dowie's
case is peculiar; it has features far more attractive to me than the
ordinary. . . .

"The man shows the natural result of his career. He has played a false
part so long before the world, and to play that part he has been compelled
to present the true relations to himself, so constantly, that the false role has
become second nature, and now when old age is coming upon him with
all its weakening influences it causes a far greater breakdown than old
age does in the man who leads an upright and honest life.

"You cannot say that a man of his kind is originally and necessarily a
lunatic, but he now falls within that definition, which he might have
avoided if he had lived a natural life. He has been so raised by his suc
cess into a confidence in his personal magnetism that now, when this per
sonal magnetism is enfeebled bv old age, he cannot reconcile himself to
recognize his failure, and it leads to the ridiculous demonstration which
he is now making upon the stage at the Garden.

"Formerly he was able to control his actions diplomatically, whereas,
with old age, he has lost that power and, like a fool, he babbles what he
really thinks. All the egotism of old age comes out in its most disgust
ing form in such cases.

"If a delusion is to be called a false and ridiculous belief, out of which
a man cannot be persuaded, Dowie falls under the definition of having
delusional insanity.

"I think that Dr. Buckley is in the main right when he charges that
Dowie is a lunatic, with megalomania, paranoia and other twists of the
mind, although I tail to find the ingenious fantasies in Dowie's schemes
which many paranoiacs show. . . .

64 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

44Some people may say that my diagnosis does not take into considera
tion that business ability shown by Dowie and his evident ability to col
lect tithes and to manage property to remunerative advantage. There are
many peculiar and apparently inconsistent combinations in the character
of certain insane persons. There are project-making lunatics who unite
the most effective talents of the worst and most successful frauds with the
hopeless delusions of a disordered mind, and persons of this type have
played a part in the world's history which is really remarkable and
seldom recognized.

"It was one of these persons who succeeded in precipitating all Europe
upon Asian territory — 1 mean Peter the Hermit. It was another, that Jan
of Leyden, who also founded a 'New Zion' in Munster. At first he suc
ceeded in creating a sentiment for him in the country, but his conceit be
came so over-dominant that he lost control of himself and yielded to his
natural instincts. He established polygamy and the whole new founda
tion went down in wreck and ruin. This 'restorer' also looked after the
tithes and insisted that his people give to him one-tenth of their possessions.

"It is in this light that I regard the union of financial genius with
imbecility in this so-called 'Dr.' Dowie."

A noted psychologist gives it as his opinion that Mr.
Dowie holds his influence over his audiences by employing
certain forms of suggestion in a masterly way, namely, the
form of direct command, and blunt, over-bearing assertion.
"His impudence would be absurd but for the fact that it accom
plished its purpose. . . . On the whole, I incline to the
belief that a part of his power comes from an element of
genuine belief in himself and his work; that is he does not
seem to be a mere pretender. The ethical tone of his preach
ing strikes me as sincere. Of course I regard him as crafty,
as consciously planning many things for effect, yet it
seems to me possible that he is sufficiently near to insanity to
believe the claims he makes as to his Apostolate, etc. The
possible extent of self-deception, who can measure?"^

Many things about Mr. Dowie are in accord with the char
acter and career of Joseph Smith. Not that he has ever been as
imaginative or visionary, but to somewhat the same char
acteristics as did Joseph, does he owe his influence upon his
people.

* Personal letter from Prof. Geo. A. Coe.

CHARACTERIZATION 65

Riley, in "The Founder of Mormonism," p. 233, quotes the
American Journal of Phrenology, November, 1866, p. 146,
as follows: "Joseph like Swedenborg was a sensitive nature.
It is more logical to believe him to have been an earnest
religious leader than to have been a non-believer in his own
mission. Men never accomplish much when they have not
unbounded faith in themselves and their calling . . . The
fact that the astute mind of Brigham Young and those of many
other remarkable and talented men were fascinated by Joseph
is suggestive . . . There \vas an infinite aim and purpose
about the man, which was certainly very taking."

This is true of Mr. Dowie with the possible addition that
his commercial schemes show a combining of the fever of
modern times to get rich and have monetary power, with "an
infinite aim and purpose." However I have not been able to
find any trace whatever of epilepsy in Mr. Dowie and am
assured upon the statement of Mrs. Dowie that it cannot be
shown that his ideas and vagaries are to be thus accounted
for, as it is not present in the preceding generations.

In his pamphlet "Dowie Analyzed and Classified" Dr. J.
M. Buckley, who has given considerable attention to such
characters as Mr. Dowie, says: "His consuming ambition,
insatiable love of power, intense self-consciousness, grasp
on money and property, vigorous suppression of individuality,
commercialism; luxurious way of living, and wholesale
entrance of his Zion into real estate speculation and manufac
turing, contrast strangely with John the Baptist and with
Elijah the Prophet. Reason must first be paralyzed, faith
drugged, and this done it wrould still seem too large and
abnormal a conception for open-mouthed credulity to believe
that the Christ of the New Testament should choose the
evolver and center of such a flamboyant mixture of flesh and
spirit to be the Restorer and his special fore-runner. If Dowie
believes it, he is in the moonlit borderland of insanity where
large movements of limited duration have sometimes
originated. If he believes it not he is another imposter.

66 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

"The probable genesis of the Dowie of today is this: Be
ginning his public career with the sincerity and simplicity of
the ordinary Christian, he passed into fanaticism, made claims
which he believed, but confronted with failures, he sophis
ticated his conscience and reason to explain them. Lured by
ambition, self-confidence, and love of power into great enter
prises which made large sums of money necessary to him, he
was obliged to manipulate men, and his shrewdness became
cunning. Intoxicated by increasing prosperity, he has come,
without Divine authority, to believe himself God's special
messenger. In that character he judges, denounces, condemns
all who do not accept him, and rules his followers with a rod
of iron."

This quotation gives the interpretation of the personality of
Mr. Dowie, which all the facts seem to warrant. Mr. Dowie
is insane with the idea of his owrn greatness. He is reported
to have said that of the three great leaders of this generation,
Lord Salisbury in Politics, J. P. Morgan in Finance, and John
Alexander Dowie in Religion, John Alexander Dowie is
greatest of all, as religion is greater than politics or finance:
and since he is also a master of these two. His many utter
ances which indicate that he is possessed of the delusions that
politicians are afraid of him and the votes he can control, that
he can, to use his own terminology, "spank" this or that per
son in authority, indicate partial insanity. To hear him
present his claims of being the Messenger of the Covenant,
Elijah the Restorer, and that Prophet of whom Moses spake,
would awaken a sense of the ludicrous in any one whose
critical faculty was at all awake. "The declaration that we
are that person (The Messenger, Elijah, and the Prophet) is
either what those peculiar theologians . . . the Chicago Press
declare it to be, a Great Blasphemy, or it is a Tremendous
Fact of the utmost importance to the whole world. We have
not assumed it; it has been imposed upon us by God himself.

CHARACTERIZATION 67

Had we been deceived in this matter God would have deceived
us. That is an impossibility."5

It would seem that the one who was guilt}7 of such naivete
as this were not amenable to reason. Notice his logic: "We
have this conviction that we are that person. If we are
deceived God is a deceiver. This is absurd; God cannot
deceive. We are that person (Elijah, etc.)"

Mr. Dowie evidently has the more or less constant con
sciousness of himself as a God-appointed Restorer and
Apostle. This is insanity, or to speak in terms more definite,
it is a disease of his personality, a delusion in his conscious
ness.

Ribot says:t "There are cases of false personality reducible
to a fixed idea, to a dominant idea, toward which a whole
group of concordant ideas converges, all others being elimi
nated, practical!}' annihilated. Such are those who believe
themselves God, Pope, or Emperor, and speak and act accord-
innly." In another place, t Ribot says: "At times the trans
formation approaches to complete metamorphosis; and then
the subject entirely overwhelmed by the feeling of his match
less power, proclaims himself Pope, Emperor, God. The
patient' as Griesinger justly observes, § 'feeling proud, bold
and enlivened, discovering in himself unwonted freedom in his
decisions, and feeling the superabundance of his thoughts, is
led naturally to have ideas of grandeur, rank, riches or great
moral or intellectual power, such as only the fullest liberty of
thought and volition can exhibit in like degree. This exag
gerated idea of force and of freedom must nevertheless have a
motive; there must be in the ego something that corresponds

* The naivete of this statement does not obscure the psychological,
perhaps pathological experience underlying it. It came to him as an over
whelming conviction. It is in line with what he believes Scripture
teaches God has foretold will be. It is God.

t Th. Ribot: "The Diseases of the Personality," p. 81.

{Op. cit., p. 56.

§Traites des Malades Mentales, p. 265.

68 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

to it; the ego must have momentarily become different; and
the patient knows no other way of expressing this change
than by proclaiming himself Napoleon, Messiah or some other
exalted personage.' ' This transformation of character may
be partial or complete; momentary or permanent.

Ribot says further:* "The study of the intellectual con
ditions of personality has in store for us a large number of
examples of this kind, (as hypnotized subjects upon whom a
role or personage is imposed) but the cases that we already
know are sufficient to justify our asking what they teach. At
first sight, these cases are quite simple as regards mechanics
of formation. The first origin is obscure: Why is that par
ticular idea produced and not some other? Usually we know
nothing of this; but the morbid conception, once born, grows
and increases until its climax is reached by the simple
automatism of association."

So Mr. Dowie may be said to have formed the habit of re-
regarding himself as a great and divine^ appointed Prophet
or Apostle, with all that those terms connote according to his
understanding of Scripture. September 18, 1904, he sanctified
himself as Apostle in the presence of eight thousand of his
followers, mitred and clad in gorgeous raiment, with these
words upon his lips: "I stand here today as the High Priest
on earth and the First Apostle of The Christian Catholic and
Apostolic Church in Zion of that High Priest in Heaven. "f
These can be none other than the words of a man under a
mighty delusion, controlled by an idea which has become a
habit of mind, a determining factor in his stream of conscious
ness. Whether of crystal clear sincerity all along in his career,
or a crafty poser and conscious deceiver at times, the man is
swayed by that other self, that abnormal personality. If sin-

*Op. cit., p. 81.

tl was told by Mrs. Dowie that he was so busy carrying out his pro
gram on the day set for the declaration that he neglected making the
declaration, but that it was printed, as I have reported it in the L. of H. as
having been made by him.

CHARACTERIZATION 69

cere and utterly self-deceived, innocent of any breach of
moral law; if a poser and deceiver, to that extent a criminal
and morally reprehensible according to the magnitude and
results of his pretentions. For reasons presented this latter
seems to be the case as it stands with Mr. Dowie. Under the
sway of a vast delusion, or series of delusions, he still con
sciously worked fraud and deception. With natural faculties
reinforced by a great and all-controlling idea, a moral sense
wilfully perverted, he believes a lie himself and craftily sup
ported himself in his position of authority and dictatorship by
prostituting even- natural or acquired talent he has. Every
affection or confidence reposed in him was turned to account
to foster the interests of his Zion, which were personal in
terests for he absolutely owned the entire establishment.*

We would scarcely contend that Mr. Dowie, under the
dominance of the idea of his special call and appointment of
God, has formed a new ego, as this second self is never able
quite to entirely supplant the normal ego for the elements of
the original ego preserve enough cohesion to enable it by turns
to regain the ascendency. The second or altered personality
seems to furnish impulse for most of his acts, but even while
this is true the real personality, John Alexander Dowie, with
its tremendous mass of sub-conscious and conscious states,
not Elijah or The First Apostle, is the force which gives
color and meaning to every concept and act of the man. He
is insanely rational and rationally insane. t

Mr. Dowie is laboring under the delusion that he is the
Restorer of the Primitive Gospel, the First Apostle in the
Restored Church, and by a combination of the power this view
gave him and his own craftiness he has wrought his great work
of gathering thousands into a separate organization, segregating
them and building a city.

* A few personal testimonies have been given me of confidence betrayed
for his own ends.

fTo the alienist belongs the question of deciding if he be fully
insane. Cf. Ribot, op. cit. p. 101.

CHAPTER V.

POIN-T OF CONTACT.

We are to inquire what is his point of contact with the
people who accept his claims and become his followers. A
casual study of Mr. Dowie's work would lead one to see the
emphasis he places upon "divine healing." Every copy of
his official organ, Leaves of Healing, the title of which is
significant, has one or more published testimonies from those
who profess to have been cured of some bodilv ailment,
disease, or immoral habit, through the pra\7ers of Mr. Dowie
or by conformity to the principles which he expounds as God's
way of healing. In Shiloh Tabernacle at Zion City, gathered
from all quarters, are exhibited on the walls, crutches, canes,
surgical instruments, trusses, and almost even- form of
apparatus used by the medical profession. These are called
trophies and are said to have been put there by the people who
once thought they needed them but who no longer have use for
them. Then too, divine healing meetings are a regular occur-
ence in Zion Citv, and at every place where a Zion representa
tive is endeavoing to reach the public by evangelistic work.
In a divine healing meeting which I attended at Zion City a
large portion of the audience were clearly seen to be afflicted
with diseases, or were crippled and disabled. Several in"
valids in wheel chairs were brought into the room.

In his interview at Havana, Cuba,* (to which reference has
been made), Mr. Dowie said: "if you were in my Tabernacle
in Zion City any Sunday afternoon, there would be from six
to seven thousand people there, and if I were to say, 'every
one of you now present who has been healed in body, through
faith in Jesus, stand,' I think almost five thousand would

*L. ot H., March 4, 1905.

POINT OF CONTACT 71

stand. Nearly everyone in the whole congregation has been
healed at one time or another."

Evidence could be multiplied to show that divine healing is
Mr. Dowie's chief point of contact writh the class of people he
has won as followers.

It is clear then that all who become Mr. Dowie's followers
believe in divine healing apart from any agency other than
the prayer of faith. Indeed the entire gospel which Mr.
Dowie professes to preach is "salvation, healing and holy liv
ing," and it is the divine healing which arrests attention and
awakens interest in Zion and its leader. This point of contact
is possible for several reasons: d) There area large number
of sick people in the world who are willing to resort to any
device to be healed. This scarcely needs proof. * (2) A
large number of people in the churches are already imbued
with a belief in faith or divine healing. In a letter from a
man \vho publishes tracts upon divine healing and who has no
use whatever for Zion, he says: "l was the guest of
some very dear friends of mine, people of faith, wyho, like my
self, stood for divine healing and kindred truths before Dr.
Dowie left Australia for these shores, and who have never

*In The World To-Day, April, 1905, Professor Angell writes:
Viewing the situation broadly, it appears to me that two factors are
largely responsible for the rapid expansion of the Christian Science move
ment. The first of these has to do with therapeutic phases of the cult.
The present day American is notoriously predisposed to neurasthenic ail
ments of all kinds. He— and she— live at a high tension, which readily
permits the emergence of hypersensitivity of one kind and another, and
readily gives an exaggerated neurotic turn to many ailments that normally
are free from such complications. Here then is a very large contingent of
persons suffering from impaired physical tone, with a morbid interest in
their own hygienic welfare. Now, let it be forcefully announced thatChris-
tian Science has a panacea for disease, and you will find thousands of
these people ready and willing to try it, just as they would try patent
medicines. ..." This same statement would be equally true tor Mr.
Dowie's Zion movement. Insert "Dowie Movement" where "Christian
Science" occurs, and the paragraph need not be otherwise altered, altho
people of a different type of culture as a rule are found in Zion.

72 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

wavered in their loyalty to the truth. Four years ago, to my
great regret, these friends joined the Christian Catholic
Church. Knowing how useless it is to reason with people who
join such movements, believing them to be of God, I refrained
from talking with them about the matter. . . . Finally they
went to Zion Citv to live. ... I have other friends in the
organization."

In another letter he says: "I am not now and never have
been connected with Dr. Dowie's work, altho I have con
siderable respect for him, being well acquainted with the man
and his work. But I am one of the ' miserable one-immer-
sionists' as he delights to call Baptists, . . . and cannot
bring myself to see as he does about Triune Immersion. Nor
can I endorse his teaching concerning universal restoration of
men and devils, and I have to smile at the claims he makes.
. . . Many of my friends are in Zion and my failure to toe
the line with them has resulted in financial loss to my work,
so far as they are concerned; but it is better for me to stay as
I am, an independent worker along these lines, having fellow
ship with all who name the name of Christ and depart from
iniquity. I was a member of the Baptist church. ... On
Sundays a company of people of ' like precious faith ' as
semble in a hall in this city. . . . This company is com
posed of members of nearly every evangelical church in the
city, M. E., Baptist, etc. They meet in the afternoon so as
not to interfere with the usual church service. . . . That
healing has been provided for in the atonement I no more
question than I do my salvation, and that is as real to me
as existence."

This letter in itself shows (a) that an organized movement
for publishing and disseminating belief in divine healing
exactly as taught by Mr. Dowie exists in this country (b) a
considerable number of people in Evangelical churches read
this literature and hold these beliefs (c) they furnish some
materials at first hand for Mr. Dowie's organization.

In a pamphlet entitled "Dowieism Exposed" the writer,

POINT OF CONTACT 73

Elder I. D. Bowman of Philadelphia, says: "I believed in
divine healing from childhood. I became a Bible student in
early youth, being taught that the Bible is literally true; when
I read divine healing in both the Old and New Testaments, I
readily accepted it. I believed that Jesus was the same to
day; that he never repented of any gifts. Therefore we had a
right to expect healing at the present time. For more than
twenty years I had this faith before I ever saw or heard of
a genuine case of divine healing. A few years before hearing of
Dowie, I met devoted Christians who claimed to have been healed
by simple faith in Jesus Christ. Then I began to read a number
of works on the subject — works by A. J. Gordon, A. B. Simp
son, Dorothea Trudel, Jennie Smith, etc. Later I was handed
a copy of 'Leaves of Healing,' published by Dowie. I
examined it carefully and became a subscriber at once. Much
in the paper I accepted as truth and thought that Dowie was
doing a good work."

This man would naturally be an advocate of divine healing
and his office would give him an excellent opportunity to
spread the belief before he had ever heard of Mr. Dowie. To
what extent Gordon, Simpson, and similar teachers, have
spread belief in divine healing we may not surely know, but
they have had considerable influence upon a great many in
the churches.

But there is further evidence that belief in divine, or faith
healing, exists to a considerable extent in the churches. A
number of letters of inquiry sent to pastors in regard to the
prevalence of belief in divine healing in their church and com
munity have elicited replies such as the following:

"None of the members of my church here believe in divine
healing as a therapeutical system. There may be one excep
tion. A number believe that specific relief from pain may
and often does come in answer to prayer and without medical
treatment.'"

•-Only one remove from the position of the "average" in Zion, for not
all Mr. Dowie's followers are extremists even in the matter of divine heal
ing. I have found a number who would use home remedies.

74 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

''Several who are now followers of Dowie were believers in
divine healing. One man I distinctly remember told me he
could take any quantity of strychnine with impunity. (I do
not think he claimed to have done it.)"5

"We have only one who believes in divine healing, and makes
it the summum bonum of his creed. We have many who trust
God for healing and these care for themselves as best they
can by advice and medicine."

''There is one avowed believer in divine healing in my
congregation. . . . There are quite a number, myself in
cluded, who are opposed to a careless and unnecessary use of
drugs."

"Only two who believe in divine healing as taught by
Simpson; perhaps two or three more who believe in more
properly speaking 'faith cure.''

We have a few who believe in divine healing — a few who
are Christian Scientists."

"We believe that God sometimes hears prayer and restores
the sick who otherwise would not be restored."

We have one man, and that a leading and intelligent mem
ber, who claims that he was healed of a facial trouble on one
occasion wholly and solely by prayer."

'There is only one person in my church who believes in
divine healing."

I had four members that went off to follow DowTie and
several more leaned that way."

"Your questions trouble me. I have lost two good mem
bers of my church in - — , in another three; another went
to Zion to be cured, but failed, so did not join. I take great
interest in sick people; visit them much, and have almost
cured some people."

"Two are typical Dowieites (excluded members.)"

"Seven believe that divine healing is possible."

Eight per cent of our members believe in divine healing.
. . . Ten per cent opposed to doctors, drugs." (In this

* Doubtless based on the statement in Mark 16: 17, 18.

POINT OF CONTACT 75

church I learned by personal conversation with the pastor, of
a few people inclined to become followers of Mr. Dowie
— one man was about to take the step, when Mr. Dowie sug
gested that he sell his business and invest. At this, he sus
pecting financial loss of some sort, drew back.)

These answers are to the question, "Have you any members
in your church and congregation who believe in divine healing
in answer to pra3^er, apart from other means?" They are not
satisfactory, but are selected at random. Almost all to whom
letters were sent have had some experience with such people,
and the answers quoted indicate that in most of our churches
there are one or more persons who are of the sort to whom Mr.
Dowie can make direct appeal in the matter of "Healing,"
and in some cases they have actually left the church to in
vestigate or join Zion. We must remember too that these
people are ardent advocates of this belief, which in many in
stances has become a hobby, "in my congregation is a
woman of unquestionable sincerity and fairly good 'gift' in
testifying, who while not offensive about it, never loses an
opportunity to tell, in public or private, of her healing at the
hands Mr. Dowie. She has already partially won over her
husband, once a member of a Baptist church, and other mem
bers of her family."

The answers indicate that our churches have been a more or
less fertile field for Mr. Dowie to work.

Another line of evidence is that found in the letters received
from actual followers of Mr. Dowie, which show that divine
healing first arrested their attention and led them to Zion.

"When 1 slipped and tore up my kneecap and the doctors wanted to
put on a cast and if I walked, go with crutches and keep off my feet three or
four months, then it was that I found in reading the 'Leaves' and compar
ing with the word that the Lord is the healer of his people when they re
pent, confess, restore, make their paths straight. . . . Yes, 1 was

* A group of persons of "like precious faith," that is, who believe in
divine healing meet occasionally at the home of this woman and some
not yet convinced, are striving as they say, "to take God at his word, and
believe the simple promises for healing."

76 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

healed without a cast; the word of God is full of healing— read and ask
God to open up the word more fully to you. 1 will send you a little
literature."

"I received your letter asking me for the personal experience in my heal
ing, i will be glad to do so for the glory of God. in Chicago was when
i first learned of God as my healer. . . . had been all my life a drunk
ard, i had the beist doctors that i could git to see if the Deisas of Drink
could be taking from me. . . . when 5 went to Zion home of hope. . . .
i thank God that he did take all Discs of Drink and sin from my heart1
... 1 will send you a Peais to Read an i am shore that if you will look
in your Bible as it will tell you to you will understand Divine healing
better." (''Peais to Read," refers to tract "Do you know God's Way of
Healing.")

"A simple, childlike faith in God, 1 believe will best express mother's
attitude toward God when she got her healing. She had faith in the Son
of God whose atonement was for Spirit, Soul and Body. . . . We are
healed as we are saved, through grace."

"I was healed of deaf ness and cathar of my left ear through Dr. Dowie's
prayer. Jesus is the healer, Satan the defiler. . . . Will send you
'Leaves of Healing' and various tracts."

"We, that is my husband and myself, were members of the Evangelical
Association, where we heard of the work Dr. Dowie was doing and so
1 went first to hear him and found that it was Bible truth that he was giv
ing—Salvation, Healing and Holy Living are taught so plainly. How new
it seemed that people were being healed and still it is just what Jesus did
when on earth. God did so much for our Newton. He was a weak,
sickly child from birth . . . one day I took him out to the childrens'
meeting and an Elder prayed with him and he was a changed child from
that day. . . . Christ seemed more real to us and of course that well of
water had to flow. 1 could not keep it myself but commenced to tell
others about it. ... We finally left the church and joined Zion. . . .
we firmly believe in Ex. 15:26, Psalm 103:2 (Who healeth all thy diseases)
and if he heals all our diseases then there are none left for the doctors."*

"i knew nothing of Devine healing until i herd Dr. Dowie teach it
then i searched my Bible and found it was there, if i had refused to re
ceive it because it was not admitted into the Baptist church or the other

*Ex. 15:26 1. c. reads, "I am Jehovah that healeth thee," and the claus
in Ps. 103-2 to which reference is made is, "Who healeth all thy diseases."
The perfect naivete which regards God as acting directly upon the human
body, ignoring all agencies and means is not susceptible to scientific
reasoning at all. It seems almost incredible to one trained in the modern
scientific conception of things that so large a number of persons are of such
primitive turn of mind.

POINT OF CONTACT 77

denominations, i would probably be in my grave today. . . . One does
not have to believe in Dr. Dowie as Prophet and Apostle before he can be
healed — when the heart is right we receive healing through faith in Jesus,
but it is a fact that those who receive Devine Healing soon come into the
Christian Catholic Church, because the Pastor cannot teach it and remain
in his church, and the member cannot testify concerning it. ... My
brother 1 will ask you to read prayerfully the 'Leaves of Healing' and the
result will be a more abundant life in you."

"We were members of the Episcopal church before joining Zion and it
was while we still belonged to that church that my dear wife, in answer to
our united and heartfelt prayers, was cured of a case of catarrh from which
she had suffered since childhood, and which the leading specialists of
Chicago had all declared to be incurable. I was cured of rupture by the
laying on of hands of an Elder in the Church, supplemented by our own
prayers. My broken arm was also a wonderful case of divine healing."
(This man has left Zion tor various reasons indicated in his letter, but is a
firm believer in divine healing still.)*

"1 have known of and believed in divine healing long before I heard
of Dr. Dowie, altho not always practicing it. 1 received great blessing at
one time. ... I have friends who have had wonderful healings in
answer to the prayer of faith who did not even know of Dr. Dowie. . . .
If you need healing go to God as a child to a father and tell Him so ...
and if in earnest you will be able to trust to God for healing."
A man who had been a Methodist Episcopal minister writes "When my

* Another case of ignorance and sophistry is found in this letter which
is from a man of some education. He says: "The only place where there
is mention in the O. T. of any one employing a doctor, he died. On the
other hand there are many places where sorcerers are spoken of in con
demnation. The Greek for sorcerer is Pharmakos from which is derived
our word pharmacist, so druggists are many times condemned in the
Bible." It seems useless to try to answer an argument of this sort. Not
"much learning," but "little learning has made the man mad." To con
vey the original sense of a word to the transliterated word with no regard
for the history through which it has passed before and after its translitera
tion is stupidity that is hardly open to reason; e. g. the word electricity
is transliterated from the Greek elektron which means amber, a substance
used in pharmacy and the arts. It is possible to conceive that the use of
amber was condemned by the Greeks, (it wasn't) but that would in no
way affect our attitude toward electricity. Again the word gymnast comes
from the Greek word which means naked. The naked Greek athlete or
gymnast was not condemned, but a perfectly nude athlete today would in
all probability.

78 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

wife, having been given up by the doctors, hearing of Dr. Dowie and
sending him for prayers, was healed, we were in a position to lay down
our Ministry and go to Chicago and stay twelve months to make sure that
the Christian Catholic Church is actually Apostolic in its purity as well as its
power and that there was no objection to its doctrine or government. I found
the doctrines to be those I had become so familiar with from Wesley and
loved so well, and 1 found they were not theories, but that the Gospel
truths were wrought out into the lives of the people in a practical way,
causing them to clean up their lives and be saved and healed."

"I was not healed at the time I united with the Church (Zion.) 1 was
well. I had been instantly healed years before of Piles. I have had
several noted healings since and have seen very many miracles of healing
grace."

"My mother-in-law believed in Zion and was healed of numerous
diseases, and my sister-in-law was healed of a slight deformity. . . . We
have not taken any medicine for over two years and we haven't had a
doctor in the house but once. . . . When I am sick 1 always look to
God to deliver me of all evil and confess my sin. If you have been read
ing Leaves of Healing it hadn't ought to take you long to see the right
path and come out from the wordly people. ... I will pray for you that
you may be brought to Zion."

These answers which all breathe the atmosphere of absolute
sincerity come in partial reply to the question. * 'What led you
to become a member of Zion?" All from whom an answer
came with the exception of one, wTere led into Zion by the door
of healing, having their faith corroborated by other things, to
be sure, but this being the main issue with them. The excep
tion is that of a man who, an unfaithful member of a Baptist
church, is led to renewed morality and Christian living through
a wife's mediation. She being a member of Zion bv belief in
healing led him to unite with the organization through whose
teaching he was reclaimed.

In most of the letters there is manifested an eagerness to
testify to what the writer has experienced, and one can as
he reads, feel this throb of earnestness to spread what has
been found helpful. The personal statements that they will
do all possible to lead me into the light, and that they are
praying for me that I may find my way to Zion, are all but
pathetic.

POINT OF CONTACT 79

When we remember, therefore, the very large number of
Christian people who are prone to sickness, and the number
in the churches, of course considerably smaller, who believe
in divine healing in answer to prayer, we can see how Mr.
Dowie got a hearing for the doctrine he emphasizes most.
Again we see that every convert to Mr. Dowie, every one who
has been healed or who is convinced he has, whether so or not,
immediately becomes a willing propagandist.

It is certain, therefore, that a very large majority of Mr.
Dowie's followers would never have been such but for his
emphasis upon this doctrine and his ability to heal, or to per
suade that he has healed. And this vast majority of his
humbler followers are sincere and earnest in their belief.*

*I have talked with many who have left the C. C. A. C. because of
Mr. Dowie's tyranny, but not one who has renounced belief in divine heal
ing or who does not believe that in his earlier work Mr. Dowie did accom
plish healings, or to speak more accurately as representing them, "was
mightly used of God in healing many." They may think he is shorn of
power now, but his approach to them was by the way of his rather
extreme teaching along this line— divine healing.

CHAPTER VI.

PROPAGANDA.

When Mr. Dowie arrived in America and began making
converts to the doctrine of divine healing, or to gather those
about him who already believed it,* he inspired them all with
the idea of the necessity of bearing witness to this faith.
When his people were organized apart from the churches he
made provision for extending belief in his teachings, and for
drawing from the churches any who might be in sympathy
with what was taught in Zion. He arranged to have his
evangelists and teachers with the Zion literature, go to almost
every large center of population and preach his three-fold or
"full" gospel of salvation, healing, and holy living.

Not many have come into Zion as first hand converts, but
the vast majority have come from the different religious bodies
already in existence.

Many of the officers of Zion have come from the denomina
tions. Overseer Speicher was a Baptist minister and phy
sician, Overseer Excell a Seventh Day Adventist, Overseer
Piper a Baptist business man, Overseer Braisefield a Presby
terian minister, Overseer Voliva a Disciple minister, Over
seer Mason a Baptist missionary, Elder Cossum a Baptist
missionan^ in China, Elder Gay a Baptist minister in Ala
bama, the Founder of the Gay Lectureship at the Southern
Baptist Seminary. And so it goes through almost the entire
list.

Every one whom I have personally known in Zion was a
Christian before becoming a member there. I have read a

* Chapter on Point of Contact shows how the ground was prepared for
him.

PROPAGANDA 81

few testimonies in the Leaves of Healing of those who were
not, but were converted from deep sin by representatives of
Zion.

A former member of Zion says, "The majority of those in
Zion have been members of the denominations."*

It has clearly been the policy of Mr. Dowie to "evangelize"
the existing churches and to draw from them his followers.
This is done in various ways. The use of the printed sheet
has been one of the most effective. Testimony after testimony
is given by Zion people that it was through the Leaves of
Healing that they were first led to a knowledge of Zion's
teaching, and brought to embrace the "full" gospel. T

Members of Zion are all anxious to distribute tracts and to
put their literature into the hands of anyone who wrill give it a
reading. They are of the class, and their beliefs are such,
that this form of propagandist!! is natural to them. This in
stinctive willingness has been reinforced by Mr. Dowrie, who
has urged all members to pay the price of subscriptions for
the Leaves and other publications, for some one outside of
, almost always a Christian in one of the churches who

* OVERSEER BRAISEFIELD— "Now one more question I desire to ask.

"It is proper in our testifying and witnessing to give due honor to him
who is not yet present. God has honored the ministry of the First
Apostle.

"It will be interesting to know how many of you were saved through his
personal ministry, through hearing his voice, when he proclaimed the
Gospel in this and other lands, through the written Word as it has gone
forth in the pages of Leaves ot Healing, and through the ministry of those
whom he has trained as officers in Zion. Such persons may stand. [A
large number in the audience rose.]

"How many were Christians before they heard of Zion? [About three-
fourths of the audience rose.]

"That is a very suggestive sight.

"Deacon Sloan suggests that you were backsliders." — L. of H., Jan.
7. 1905.

t Testimonials quoted; also L. of H. almost any copy.

82 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

might thus be reached and brought into their fellowship/'' On
the closing pages of L. of H., September 10, 1904, this sug
gestion occurs in bold type. "We are expecting to see a
hearty endorsement of the teachings in this issue, expressed by
every reader sending in one or more subscriptions, or at least
a remittance for one copy to be sent to some one in need."
This particular issue contains a full report of the conferences
organizing the C. C. A. C. in Zion, an explanation and
historical sketch of Zion.

Some one kindlv sent me the Leaves for a year paying the
subscription price, when they learned that I was interested in
Zion, and large numbers of tracts have also been sent to me
by those interested in spreading Zion views.

Mr. Dowie has had a double purpose in printing the testi
monies of the different ones who have been healed and helped
by Zion. It adds to the general momentum of the movement,
furnishing materials of the best sort for promoting his ends;
but it also leads the person whose experience is thus printed,
to have a special interest in the matter of propagating Zion
truth. Almost invariably upon writing to, or becoming acquaint
ed with, a member of Zion whose testimony has been printed,
they have sent me a marked copy of that particular paper.
Every wise Sunday school superintendent understands this
principle practically, and enlists the interest of the children
by some method of making them more or less prominent in the
work. This has been one of his practical ways of "group
ing" his people around the idea of divine healing, himself the

*The following report shows something of the extent of this kind of
work.

Zion literature sent out from a free distribution fund provided by Zion's
guests and the friends of Zion: Report for three weeks ending October
29, 1904: 30,200 rolls to busjness men in the United States; 4,400 rolls to
Germany; 3,723 rolls to the hotels of the world; 999 rolls to the peerage of
Europe; 200 rolls to businessmen in England; 1,125 rolls to miscellaneous
countries; number of rolls for three weeks, 40,647; number of rolls reported
to October 29, 1904, 3,450,612.

PROPAGANDA 83

agent of the healing. What a fascination the story of one
self has when one sees it in print ! Most honest men will con
fess it, and there is a very strong desire to have as many as
possible see and read. And so the storv of Zion's healings
are spread.

These people also bear their testimony verbally and lose no
opportunity to urge others to faith in a complete gospel like
their own. The burden of their message is, "the churches do
not teach a full gospel; they stop with salvation, which we
believe and teach with all our strength, but we teach healing
and holy living also as a part of the gospel. "*

In thus teaching their three-fold gospel they often put a dis
proportionate emphasis upon healing, but this has been their
way of calling attention to the fact that the churches give it
practically no place in their thinking and teaching. They
emphasize hoi}' living also far more than the churches do; at
least under this form of speech and from their legalistic
standpoint. They have enforced the doctrine too in their dis
cipline, and in the earlier days of Zion one element of strength
was the noble desire of man}' of the people to part company
with their sins and visible vices. Zion and Zion city have
been fully exploited as places of clean living, in which the
absence of saloons, brothels, theatres, card parties, dancing,
etc., makes possible a life free from much of the wordly
temptations with which one is ordinarily surrounded. This
has made it an attractive place for the extremists of the

* In the L. of H., December, 1905, p. 1, the words in Mk. 16:17, 18 are
partially quoted: "These signs shall follow them that believe; in my name
shall they cast out devils; . . . they shall lay hands on the sick and
they shall recover." The comment is made, "The denominational
churches have ceased to claim either of these glorious promises of Christ."
Nothing is said about the clauses not quoted which lie between these two;
"They shall speak with tongues, they shall take up serpents; and if they
shall drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them," for even Zion has
not been able to claim much success along these lines. It should be re
marked that both these verses occur in a passage about whose authenticity
there is almost universal doubt among scholars.

84 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

"unwordly" type, and that this has been an element of strength
no one can doubt.*

A prominent official in Zion told me, after having expressed
his grave fears about the outcome of certain tendencies in
Zion, "These people are a godly people — they have a passion
for righteousness." Considerably later he writes as follows:
"As to the kind of people who live in this city, I would say
they are a righteous people. They have borne with Christian
patience much tyranny and injustice. Their patience and
loyalty, I believe, have never been equalled. . . . They are
far better in my judgment, than those who have ruled over
them. In a word there is no discount on this people." The
high moral tone of the teaching of Zion, in spite of a certain
amount of legalistic self-righteousness, and the suppression
of spontaneity, with all the injury to character which that en
tails, has been of very great help in the spread of Zion's in
fluence among many well-meaning and sincere people in
the churches. It has helped the propaganda to be able to
cite the evils tolerated in the churches, and then call atten
tion to an organization and city where these are not tolerated.

To the credit of Mr. Dowie, be it said, that he has insisted
upon clean living at all times and in his teaching has often
made healing depend upon repentance, which really means a
forsaking of sinful habits and practices, and restitution. He
has also required titheing as a condition of God's continued
blessing, and upon people ready to be convinced by specious
Scripture argument, this has wonderfully strengthened his
hold, incidentally increasing his income.

This leads to an examination of the general method of attack
upon the churches by which the susceptible members have
been brought to forsake their former allegiance and unite with
Zion.

First: All possible has been done to show that the teaching
of the churches is insufficient and partial, warped and mis-

* Cf. James' Varieties of Religious Experience, Chapter, "Saintli-
ness."

PROPAGANDA 85

leading", and their practices in many instances unscriptural or
sinful.

Second: It has been attempted to show that the Zion
movement is a part of the Scriptural program of " the restora
tion of all things," and that Zion and its teaching are a
restored primitive organization of the church, its officers and
its message. Zion is the most effective agent of the Kingdom
of God and the full gospel, the preaching and practicing of
which bring answer to the prayer, "Thy Kingdom come."

This of course is not a formal program which Mr. Do\vie
has devised and which his officers have agreed upon; but is an
analysis of the actual way the Zion movement, from before the
time of its formal organization in 1896, has related itself to
the churches. In his interview at Havana, Cuba, Mr. Dowie
says,1" "As I went on in life, I saw7 that the mission of the
Lord Jesus Christ, was being misconceived, and that the
churches were imagining that the people could be blessed and
elevated by wearisome services and wearisome repetitions of
prayers,! or elevated to God by taking women that sang for
the Devil on Saturday night and having them sing for God
on Sunday. ... It did not seem to me that the churches
were separate enough from the world, and also it didn't seem
to me as if they were in close enough touch with God to be of
any help to the world. . . . Now I saw that the church did
not get in touch with them (the needy people) and sympathize
with them in their toil and do something to improve their con
dition. And I used to think over what could be done. They
gave me what was considered a very fine ecclesiastical position
after I returned from Scotland to Australia. . . . But I was
very uncomfortable in it and gave up my church. . . . The
world \vas getting more wicked, and the people were getting-

* L. of H. March 4, 1905, previously cited.

1 1 myself sat for tour hours in the Tabernacle at Zion city listening to
the harangue ot Mr. Dowie upon a multitude of subjects, chiefly "secret-
ism," then left for very weariness, a friend of mine remaining another
hour until the service closed.

86 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

more drunken and dissipated, and the working classes were
getting farther away from God. What was to be done and
what were they (the churches) doing? I must get to the
people ! So I threw off my gown and descended from my pul
pit, and, having a few thousand dollars, I rented a big theatre
in Sydney, and spoke to immense numbers of people. . . .
And at last after I went on for many years in my work of'
salvation, healing and cleansing through faith in Jesus, I
found that the only way was to organize my spiritual children
into a Catholic church."

The attack began, at least in this country, upon the ministry
who were at first friendly toward Mr. Dowie and who in some
cases invited him to speak in their churches.* They soon
began to lose faith in him however, as pretentious and un
balanced as an exegete, and a fanatic upon the question of
divine healing. As early as January, 1889, we find Mr. Dowie
at variance with the pastors of California. On January 27^
1899, in the First Baptist church of Oakland, California, Mr.
Dowie makes reply to what he terms an attack upon him by
the Rev. Dr. E. C. Chapman and the Oakland pastor's union.
Mr. Dowie has published this reply, in which it is clearly seen
that the issue upon which he joined with the ministers and
churches was divine healing. t At the beginning of this reply
Mr. Dowie says: "We will take' the whole matter to Him in
prayer that we may be in such a beautiful spirit of communion
and expectancy, that we shall realize his presence here today.
. . . Let us expect to get an answer — a direct answer to a
direct prayer. ... Pray with me and for me and for the
multitudes of God's dear children who are sitting in the dark
ness of disease and sickness, and in the shadow of death; who
are groaning on beds of pain, and who know not that Christ's
seamless dress is by their beds of pain."

*Mr. Dowie has never seemed to appreciate at all the fact that the
churches gave him the use of their buildings, in many cases receiving:
abuse and misrepresentations instead of gratitude.

t Pamphlet "Divine Healing Vindicated."

PROPAGANDA 87

His prayer opens his controversy," for by implication these
"do not know," because their pastors have never told them.
A reply, section by section, to the paper of Dr. Chapman,
follows the prayer.

We can only gather what the paper contained, which was
read before the pastor's union in criticism of Mr. Dowie, by
the quotations from it that Mr. Dowie makes. He calls it
the Pastor's Manifesto. The first section really defines divine
healing as Mr. Dowie holds it and is as follows: "The dis
tinguishing features of what is known as the doctrine of divine
healing may be briefly stated: First, that all bodily ailment is
the work of the Devil. The second definition is that Christ
came to destroy the works of the Devil. Therefore it is the
privilege of all who believe in him to enjoy perfect and per
petual bodily health."

Mr. Dowie says, "We accept it. We believe it is the
privilege of all who live in Christ, that Christ shall live in
them; that the Holy Spirit shall quicken our mortal flesh."
He then quotes Romans 8:11: "if the Spirit of Him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, He that raised
up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies
through His Spirit that dwelleth in you," and says, "The
Holy Spirit of God is the Spirit of life and health, and if he
dwells in our mortal bodies disease will not."

Much of similar import follows in which it seems Mr. Dowie
carried his audience with him by reference to Scripture texts
at opportune times, and by one of the boldest forms of sug
gestion, blunt assertion.

*Mr. Dowie began with consummate skill to group his fellow believers
into a "struggle group" long before the formal organization of the C. C.
C. in Zion, The fact that they have been compelled to tight for a hearing
for their favorite doctrine, and have been compelled to unite for defense
has had no small part to play in the full loyalty and sacrificing zeal of
his followers. (Cf. Article, Conformity and Heresy; A Study in Social
Psychology. Geo. H. Vincent, Methodist Review, January, February,
1906.)

88 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

The point of the reply with which we are especially dealing
comes when Mr. Dowie says, "God raised up Luther and
many great reformers, and then the Word of God went
abroad, and the church of God has been rising ever since.
The doctrine of salvation by the Grace of God through faith
in Jesus came back; and now the doctrine of divine healing by
Grace through faith in Jesus has come back again."

Audience. "Praise the Lord.":

Mr. Dowie. ' The Lord give us power to help in bringing
back in its fulless to the church to-day the 'old-time religion,'
that tells us Jesus Christ is a present healer."

Audience. "Amen."

Mr. Dowie. . . . The fact that our Lord himself

preached the sermon to the false shepherds in John 10, who
had just excommunicated the man born blind to whom He had
restored sight shows that it might be no straining of the pass
age if we applied it literally to those shepherds of today who
arrogantly threaten to expel their people and demand that
their office-bearers in the church shall resign, because they
confess Christ as a present healer. It is a fact beyond all
question that the words of Ezekiel 34:4 are applicable to
many who persecute their people for seeking the Lord as
their healer, and to those of them who hinder the sick from
coming to the divine healing streams which are once more
flowing through the earth: 'The diseased have ye not
strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick,
neither have ye bound up that which was broken . . . but
with force and rigor have ye ruled over them.'

"It was our Lord's works of healing which especially
'moved with indignation' the shepherds of his day, and it
seems as if it were the same to-day; for we are assailed with
incredible bitterness by some of our fellow shepherds for dar
ing to teach that there is balm in Gilead, and that Christ is
still the physician of his people. ... Oh that our breth
ren in the ministry of our Lord would cease to oppose the

* Report printed by Mr. Dowie, "Divine Healing Vindicated."

PROPAGANDA 8g

Gospel of divine healing, and see that they are only fighting
against God."

From this position of rebuking the ministers who had at
tacked his belief and methods in i88g, Mr. Dowie advances
to the position a few years later where he regards all the
churches as apostasies and denounces them as perverters of
the Gospel. Holding that healing is coordinate with salva
tion in the plan of redemption, he insists that those who be
lieve the full Gospel must not remain in the churches, but
come into his organization.

In his pamphlet, "Zion's Protest Aginst Swine's Flesh,"
page 14, he reports the following dialogue with his audience:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterdav, to-day and forever.
If He is the same is He not the same Savior?"

Audience. "Yes."

"The same healer?"

Audience. "Yes."

"Have they (the Heathen) not a right to expect the mis
sionaries to preach an unchangeable deliverer?"

Audience. "Yes."

"I do not blame a Heathen for rejecting Christianity if you
offer him only half the Gospel. I do not believe that God will
hold the Heathen accountable when you have a missionary
there telling him an infernal lie; that the Christ who lived
long ago is not the same healer still. I do not believe God
will hold him responsible; because the Heathen have sense
enough to know that the book in every page of it teaches di
vine healing; that the whole of the Old Testament has it from
Exodus where God gives the Covenant 'I am the Lord that
healeth thee,' right through to Revelation, where the leaves
of the tree are for the healing of the nations. You cannot find
a single hour inside of these thousands of years in which God
was not the healer, in which He was not revealed as the heal
er. Your missionary boards send out your infernal lies, and
your medicine chest, and your surgical knives, and tell the
Heathen Christ is not the same. Shame on vou.

9o JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

Audience. "Amen."

"Nothing else can save China or any land, but the same
old-time religion."

Mr. Dowie was shrewd enough as a leader of people to see
that many of those who held to a belief in divine healing were
dissatisfied with the churches in which they held their mem
bership, and that for the most part the churches were intoler
ant of those who made this supreme, or one of the most
important articles of their faith. He knew how easy it was to
fan this dissatisfaction into a flame and to lead these people
to believe the churches "apostate," whose ministers not only
would not teach the doctrine, but tried to suppress the testi
mony of those in the churches who did.

Mr. Dowie says,* "it is impossible to see so long as your
sins and your iniquities stand between you and God. You
can see nothing unless perhaps it be the Methodist Church,
the Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Congrega
tional Church, the Lutheran Church, or some other denomin
ation. But you cannot see Jesus until you have repented of
your sins, and your eyes are opened to see Christ. You are
blind. No church can save you. You must see and know.
I do not know of a single member of the C. C. C. in
Zion who either uses alcohol or nicotine poisons, eats swine's
flesh, goes to the theatre, or is in affiliation with the world in
its iniquities; ... It is simply impossible for a true
Christian to do these things. A man ma}7 call himself a
Christian, but if he defiles his body he is being destroyed.
He is defiling the temple of God. A defiler of the temple of
God may call himself a Christian, but he has no right to ex
pect that any one shall believe it; for he stinks like the Devil."
(Laughter.) . . .

"is the home of a man who calls himself a Christian and
never prays with wife or children a Christian home? The
man who says Christ is all, and yet raises no voice of praise

* Pamphlet, "Principles, Practices and Purposes of the C. C. C. in Zion,"
p. 6 it.

PROPAGANDA 91

in his home, reads no Word of God, sends his sons and his
daughters out of a prayerless home into a Godless world. He
is not a Christian. He is a liar. He is a sham. He is a
cheat. He is a coward. If such there be in Zion, they had
better repent very quickly before we hear of them, or we will
put them out. (Laughter.) They must be Methodists or
Presbyterians or something of that kind; for the C. C. C. in
Zion practices its religion first in its home."

Scarcely an address of Mr. Dowie's of his later ministry
was free from some tirade against the denominations as har-
borers of all sorts of Devils and hypocrites, with an appeal or
blunt command to "come out from among them."

"Let me put it simply and plainly. The purpose of the
Christian Catholic Church in Zion is to smash every other
church in existence. (Hisses from various parts of the build
ing. Applause from members and friends of Zion.)t . • •

When the Lord Jesus Christ established His Church, he es
tablished a church which was intended to smash every church
then in existence. The geese and the serpents were not
thinking when they hissed. Perhaps they had been drinking.
Perhaps they had been stinking with tobacco, and they
thought it. a nice thing to be able to hiss. I am glad you are
here. You have caught it this time, you serpents. (Hisses
renewed. Applause from members and friends renewed.) J

The Christian Church was established to destroy the Jewish
Church and every form of heathen worship. It was estab
lished to destroy every kind of apostasy. It was established
to destroy evil. The Christian Church was established to de
stroy hypocrites in ever}7 form. (Several scores of people
arose and left the building at this point.)

* The "out-and-out" thoroughgoing insistence upon a religion that can
be seen, that shows itself openly, has always appealed to the class of
people Zion has reached.

f This address was delivered in Philadelphia, when many of those
present were not his followers.

£ Notice how opposition seems to embolden and unite Mr. Dowie's
followers.

g2 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

I am very glad to find that I have made a most moving
speech. (Applause. Hisses.) I can tell when there has
been good work done. The Devil brings in his ambulance
and carries off the wounded. I have no doubt that they will
find sympathy in the various churches of the city. I will say
the truth no matter what happens. I have a message. I am
in a place where I am commanded of my God and of con
science to speak, and if any one does not like it, they can go
away. I am at libert}7 to speak, and speak I will. So far as
I can see, the churches of to-day have gone into the way of
Baal. Their members, their elders, and their bishops have
been bowing at the altar of Baal, the Sun-God, in the Masonic
lodge. Yet not all have sinned thus. There are multitudes
of good people within these churches. There are multitudes
of godly ministers within these churches. There are multi
tudes who have not bowed the knee to Baal within these
churches. They are deceived by their leaders. They are
misdirected by their leaders.*

God's will is the destruction of every organization which
does not extend the Kingdom of God. I call your attention
to the statistics of the denominations, to their own self-con
fessed failure, and point out to you that the time has come
when the Kingdom of God is not being extended by their
agency. . . . The things which can be shaken must be
taken away. The things to remain are the things which can
not be shaken. Zion has arisen; a Kingdom which cannot be
shaken; the Kingdom of God.

Oh God, let that consuming fire destroy evil and establish

*[( Personal letter to me.)— "I joined Zion because it was the only way
and place you could get the three-fold Gospel teached. There are thousands
of people to-day that would like to go and hear Dowie preach, but he is
continually raking the worldly churches, and consequently you would
rather be in darkness than to step in the light and get some of the true
teaching."

From Leaves of Healing:— "There is nothing in the denominations to
day that has such a holding influence upon the people as the beautiful
truths of Zion, and that keeps them true and faithful."

PROPAGANDA 93

good! May that fire which burnt nineteen centuries ago in
the destruction of the apostate Jewish Church, destroy even-
form of apostasy to-day and bring in the reign of God and
righteousness."

At the close of this address, Mr. Dowie gives what he terms
the CALL. "On what side do you desire to stand? Are you
so tied to men and systems that you will be blind to God and
His eternal purposes? Are you determined to stand for God,
and to live according to conscience? Are you determined to
do right, no matter what the results may be? Are you deter
mined to live as nearly in accordance with the commands of
Jesus Christ as you can? All who desire to live for God in
this way, stand and tell him so. All who desire to live for
God, with all your minds, and souls, and strength, stand and
pray." (Hundreds arose.) *

PRAYER OF CONSECRATION.

My God and Father, in Jesus' name I come to Thee.
Take me as I am. Make me what 1 ought to be, in spirit, in
soul, in body. Give me Thy Holy Spirit. Enable me to
trust Thee; to do right to any whom 1 may have wronged; to
repent, to restore, to confess, to do right in Thy sight. Give
me Thy Holy Spirit that I mav be brave to follow Jesus with
out the gate as well as within the gate, to bear His cross, to
endure His shame, to triumph with Him. Give me Thy Holy
Spirit, that I may be pure in spirit and in soul and body, for
Jesus' sake." (All repeat the prayer, clause by clause, after
the General Overseer.)

"Did you mean that?"

Voices. "Yes."

General Overseer. — "Will you live it?"

Voices. "Yes."

General Overseer. — "Then you belong to Zion. Get in
quickly. You do not belong outside; for outside that life is
not lived."

* Notice the truly "revival" method of handling an audience. Cf. Dav
enport, "Primitive Traits," Chapter. Conversion by Suggestion.

94 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

Here is an advertisement of the Leaves of Healing which
is venr significant and indicates the amount of energy that
Zion has expended in the destructive work of encouraging
disaffection among members of the churches, united with a
forceful presentation of reasons for coming to Zion.

LEAVES OF HEALING

EDITED BY REV. JOHN ALEX. DOWIE

Elijah the Restorer
General Overseer of the Christian Catholic Church in Zion

A Paper Full of Wide-awake Truths for Lukewarm Churches and an Unbelieving

World, as well as for True-Hearted Christians and All Who

Love Our Lord's Appearing:.

WOULD YOU KNOW OF

God's Word of Power?— Heb, 4:12. - - Read Leaves of Healing-
God's Full Salvation?— 2 Thes 2:13-16. - - Read Leaves of Healing-
God's Way of Healing-?— Mark 6:12. 13. - Read Leaves of Healing
God's Spirit of Prophecy?- Rev. 19:10. - - Read Leaves of Healing
God's Latter Day Zion?— Jer. 3:14, IS. - Read Leaves of Healing
God's People of Promise? — Mai. 3:10. - - Read Leaves of Healing-
God's Hig-hway of Holiness?— Is 35:8, 9. Read Leaves of Healing-
God's Messeug-er of Repentance? -Luke 3:7, 9. - Read Leaves of Healing-
God's Call to True Christians?— 2 Cor. 6:14-16. - Read Leaves of Healing-
God's Rebuke to the Churches?— Rev. 3:3, 4. - Read Leaves of Healing
God's Contention with Preachers? — Ezek. 24:2-6. Read Leaves of Healing

The Zion people have also fully denounced the existing
churches as evidenced by the following statement:

"LEAVES OF HEALING" A POWER IN THE HANDS OF EVERY MEMBER

OF ZION.

But you cannot say these things in exactly the same words I use.

If thev say to you, "Do you believe the horrible things Dr. Dowie says?"
you answer, "Yes."

If they say, "Then you are just as bad as he is," you can reply, "You
read what he says," and give them a copy ot Leaves of Healing.

It will soak into their minds and hearts, and they will think about it.

Thousands of you were Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian, or some other
kind of stinkpots, but you were made to see that I was right.

That is what I think God means by linking Long-suffering with Gen
tleness—Gentleness associated with Power.

You must remember that all have not the same gift.

Some of you try to use my forcible language without having back of it
the kind spirit and the Gentleness.

1 do not know how to speak ot it myself, because it might appear like
egotism.— L. of H., Vol. 15, No. 16, p. 502.

PROPAGANDA 95

Another feature of his aggressive propagandist!! has been a
positive setting forth and inculcating of his "restoration"
ideas. * This has been the easier because the way was open
to create disaffection and to lead to a belief in the apostasy
of the existing churches on the part of those who were already
believers in faith healing. One reason for the measure of
success in having his "restoration" program and ideas ac
cepted has been the prevalence in the churches of what may
be termed "restoration" notions. To go back considerable,
we find that in the early days of Mormonism t this belief in
the restoration of a primitive gospel was prevalent to a great
extent. Nearly all Adventists and believers in the premillen-
nial second coming of Christ have held to "a great falling
away from the gospel and an age of the restoration of all
things." A Mormon, Newell Knight, says: "By reading and
searching the Bible, I found that there would be a great falling
away from the gospel, as preached and established by Jesus;
that in the last days God would set His hand to restore that
which was lost." 1 Western New York, where Mormonism
arose, was "thoroughly impregnated with restorationist views,
in fact the Irvingites sent a deputation to Smith to express
sympathy because of his assertion of the perpetuity of miracles
in the church." §

* The restoration or restitution ot all things is a form of thought con
nected with extremists in interpreting prophecy. Many have a program
arranged of what has been predicted in Scripture. This form of interpre
tation is familiar to all readers of such books as Millennial Dawn, etc.
The term restoration is also used for restitution, meaning a making right
of wrongs. Cf. Chapter on Doctrine.

t Riley— Founder of Mormonism, p. 245 ff.

J Riley op. cit. 258-288. This refers to a belief in the restoral of the
gifts to the church, especially that ot healing, and is cast in the apocalyptic
thought forms.

>; Divine healing rests upon the idea of continuance of miracles of course.
Mr. Dowie has again and again tried to show that the hymnology of the
church — the psalm paraphrases, gospel hymns, Christian poetry in general,
is full of divine healing He is no innovator here he claims. Cf. Chains
of Good and Evil, p. 8 It.

96 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

The continuance of such teaching which insists on the per
manence of all the ' 'gifts" of apostolic days and regards a re
storing of them as necessary when lost, has been the result of
distribution of tracts and literature by various individuals and
sects, and at least one large denomination. *

The Disciples of Christ arose out of a feeling of the need
of restoring the name Christian as the only name for the
church of Christ, and certain apostolic practices, such as the
weekly observance of the Lord's Supper. The Mormons took
pains to refute the claims of Alexander Campbell to have re
stored primitive Christianity, t

* Minor sects have always been characterized by a religious primitive-
ness. It could not be otherwise, as they withdraw themselves from the
contaminating influences of society at large. They adopt as a rule the
idea of the decrease of faith in the world to well nigh the vanishing point
as a preliminary to the return of Christ and the personal founding of His
kingdom, or like Zion, they go through a period of rapid increase by as
similating to themselves those ot "like precious faith," and are daring
enough to predict that they will sweep the world. Somewhere tho in the
midst of this wonderful process Christ is expected to return to give the
full assistance of His actual presence.

"Quakers, Primitive Baptists, Restorationists, and Later-Day Saints (the
name Later-Day is significant) all hope for the return of prophetic gifts."
Riley op. cit. p. 236

1 have myself had a slight acquaintance with the anti-Polygamous
Mormons, a small sect in protest against the Mormon hierarchy. They
send out "Apostles" to conduct evangelistic meetings. They thoroughly
canvassed our little city, (Evansville, Wis.) held tent meetings and
preached doctrines similar to those of the Six Principle Baptists. Their
idea of repentance and restitution was endorsed by some Zion people. 1
heard as densely ignorant a discussion by one of their ministers, as any of
the many negro speeches 1 have heard. "Restoration of Gifts" was his
theme, and he spent considerable time "expositing" Mk. 16:17, 18, and
Heb. 6:1, 2.

t Riley (op. cit. p. 390 footnote) quotes from J. F. McDowell, "Disciple-
ism, or the claims of Alexander Campbell to a Restored Christianity Ex
amined," 1901, p. 12. "We have therefore weighed this church in the bal
ance of God's Word and found it wanting, rendering the following count
of indictments against it:

1. They have no apostles. 2. No prophets. 3. No seventies. 4. No
priests. 5. No bishops. 6. No teachers. 7. Signs of gifts of Mk. 16:17,

PROPAGANDA 97

There can be no doubt that the Disciples have agitated
the idea of the .restoration of primitive Christianity without
laying so much stress on the form or forms to be restored.

In an age of multiplicity of sects and denominations this
idea of restoring a united primitive Christianity has had great
weight with multitudes in all the churches. Mr. Dowie found a
fertile field of discontent with existing conditions and real
yearning for unity in Christendom on the basis of the New
Testament, at the close of the igth century in America. The
pity is that those who feel thus have allowed the names of
sects and variety of forms of worship to obscure the sense of
the underlying unity of true Christians which is growing to
be a reality more and more. *

So on the tide of dissatisfaction with an insufficient gospel
preaching which ignored or opposed divine healing, and a

18, do not follow them. 8. They do not lay on hands after baptism, for
the gift of the Holy Spirit. 9. They do not call the elders tor the sick,
as directed in James 5:14, 15. 10. They do not teach the resurrection of
the dead as taught in the Bible. 11. They do not teach the Bible doctrine
of Eternal Judgement 12. They claim to teach baptism for the remission
of sins, but contradict themselves by taking people into their fellowship
who have not been so baptized, without rebaptism. 13. They do not lay
on hands for the blessing of little children. 14. They teach that the
church existed for the first time on the Day of Pentecost. 15. They believe
and teach that the gospel was never taught in fact until the Day of Pente
cost, 16. They do not teach the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

We will now let the reader decide how far Mr. Campbell and his suc
cessors have been successful in restoring primitive, original Christianity.
The Bible does teach the probability and possibility of a restoration of the
gospel and kingdom of God in the latter days as forshadowed in Matt.
24:14; Mai. 3:1-3; Rev. 14:6, 7; and that after the restoration had occurred
some would depart from the faith as note I Tim. 4:1. The words "the
faith," evidently have reference to the entire gospel scheme, as implied by
Paul in Eph. 4:5."

* The recent conference for Religious Federation and co-operation held
in New York beginning Nov. 15, 1905, represented more than seventeen
million church members, twenty-six different denominations, all hoping
and working for the fundamental unity of Christian service. It is signifi
cant that the "restored" churches held aloof from that Federation.

98 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

continuance of miraculous gifts, and a literalism which ex
pected their recovery, or affirmed their presence with true
Christians, in an age of religious transition,* Mr. Dowie rose
to the position of "Restorer" and absolute head of the primi
tive C. C. A. C. in Zion.

We have already noticed in a previous chapter some of the
steps by which he came to assume this function of "Restorer"
and this office of Apostle, and in this chapter have noticed
how he went about creating dissatisfaction with the existing
churches. We now look a little more closely at his method
of restoring.

Mr. Dowie says : t "Divine healing is not a novelty. I am
introducing no innovation. In the church of the Living God
any other kind of healing except divine healing is an innova
tion. God made no provision for any other kind of healing
than directly by himself. Doctors, drugs, and surgeons are
spoken of in the Old Testament in the terms of contempt,
such as these: 'Ye are all physicians of no value.' ' In vain
shalt thou use many medicines.' Such passages as these
are not the only references in the Old Testament to doctors
and drugs ; but all through the teaching is maintained that
God is the healer of His people I If you were to open your
Bible to the middle verses, you would find them to be the
2nd and 3rd verses of the losrd Psalm, and read thus :

' Bless Jehovah, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits :
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities ;
Who healeth all thy diseases.'

* Any of the religious literature or religious journals would indicate this
to be a transition period. Traditionalism is being scrutinized and many
old beliefs are passing. Cf. Coe, "Religion ot a Mature Mind;" for ex
ample.

t Address, Shiloh Tabernacle.

t Mr. Dowie says more against doctors and drugs in five minutes than
the Bible does all the way through. This has wonderfully helped to
"gang" his people.

PROPAGANDA 09

Those are the middle verses of the Bible. It is the central
truth of the Bible that God forgives our sins and heals our
sicknesses when we do His will."

As it was with his restoring of divine healing it has been
with other peculiar beliefs of Zion. * He has tried to show
their Scriptural origin and author^, doing so by the clever
indirect suggestion of the orator when in public address, and
the consummate skill of an organizer and promoter at all
times.

Mr. Dowie has been a preacher of great power with certain
people, t He has made most effective use of the living voice
and while many of his services have been grotesque in the
-extreme, I when compared with conventional standards, he
has had an intuitive sense of how to manage his audiences.
One of his followers would make us believe he is the greatest
or equal to the greatest of preachers who have ever proclaimed
Christianity. § To reproduce his thought briefly, he contends
that Savonarola owed much of his success in drawing his vast
audiences to the beautiful house of worship of the Roman
church, and to his splendid eloquence. Bossuet had the addi
tional advantage that he was the darling of the court and that
it was the fashion to hear him. Whitefield and Wesley were
orators of wonderful attractiveness, whose mere speech and
action would have drawn crowds, no matter what had been
the subject of their discourses. Again they found a special
opportunity in that they voiced a dissension in England
against the existing conditions of the religious world ; thous
ands who had not the gift of public speaking had long been
thinking the things that these men preached and therefore
flocked to hear them ; glad and happy to hear at last, that
said in public, which had for a long time been in secret a bur
den upon their own hearts. Robertson, Spurgeon, Brooks,

* See Chapter, Doctrines.

t See Chapter, People of Zion.

JSee discussion under Worship in Introduction.

£ H. B. Walmsley, reported in Zion Banner, Oct. 2, 1903.

ioo JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

and Beecher had the advantage of preaching in an established
house of worship with a strong church organization to sup
port them. They were all free also from the competition of
Sunday newspapers, one of the most potent agencies for empty
ing the churches.

Dr. Swing, Chicago's greatest preacher before Dr. Dowie,
was a poet, with a voice of music and a personality which
would have made one stay to listen even had the matter been
no more interesting than Homer's catalogue of the ships. But
he made his sermons an artistic and intellectual marvel. The
arts, sciences, literature, history, being laid under contribu
tion with the insight of a poet.

Now remembering these advantages, notice John Alexander
Dowie's work as a preacher. "He came to Chicago a few
years ago, from the other side of the world — unheralded, un
known, backed by no Synod, supported by no hierarchy to
bid the faithful hearken to him. If he possessed any gifts as
an orator he despises them and of set purpose studiously
avoids employing them, deeming it not fitting that his Master's
messages to the world should be tricked out in any adventi
tious aids to make them more acceptable. He found a suitable
room for his meetings, went into it with a Bible in his hand and
began to preach. Suppose when John Alexander Dowie be
gan to preach in Chicago, that most wicked city, he had told
the reporters that he intended to continue his preaching
until he was drawing into the largest hall in the city every
Sunday over 5000 people who come solely to hear God's word
as he declared it from the Bible, what a laugh that would have
raised, and what a display of cheap wit there would have been
over the pretensions of an enthusiast. The thing would have
been madness beyond belief — impossible. And yet in a few
short years he has done this thing. As his hearers increased
in number he took a larger and larger place, until he capped
the climax of his mighty success by holding his Sunday after
noon meetings in the Auditorium. This Chicago claims — and
justly— to be one of the world's greatest halls. This vast

PROPAGANDA 101

room he filled continuously every Sunday with audiences of
5000 and over. And when he left there it was to continue his
preaching at Zion City to even larger congregations in a
larger auditorium. His work stands alone; is unique, and
puts him in the first place among humanity's preachers after
the Apostles."

This is doubtless a sincere valuation of Mr. Dowie as a
preacher and there is point in the fact that a man of some
intelligence could be so impressed, even tho we were certain
it intentionally sought to flatter, and could give good
reasons for the crowds Mr. Dowie has drawn to him along
the lines suggested in this discussion, namely, his unusual
character and method, his sensationalism, his point of contact
in the currency of belief in divine healing and the kind of
people he leads. The fact remains that the people did go to
hear Mr. Dowie and his platform power, and ability to gather
people to himself, has been no small element of his success.
Mr. Dowie has been the soul and inspiration of his propa
ganda, whatever other elements may have co-operated to as
sist him. This we must not ignore in getting at an under
standing of the growth of Zion.

It is true that his audiences have been of a peculiar and
unusual kind, in regard to which a prominent psychologist
and educator, himself an excellent speaker, says: "it seems
to me if I had seen the very same crowd gathered at a con
cert or an auction I should have noticed signs indicative of a
peculiar type of mind. This type is hard to describe without
coming directly to the fact that needs to be proved, namely,
suggestibility. ... It lacks brightness and spontaneity. If I
were myself obliged to talk to such a crowd I should feel that
I should have to carry a load of lead."

It is also true that his peculiar teaching believed by many,
a novelty to others, together with the unusualness of his
claims, have had no small part in securing attendance at
services and enlistments in the organization. In addition,
the sensational and often disgraceful methods of calling out

102 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

a crowd, as in New York, have given him a certain sort of
renown as a preacher. But after all this has been said the
living voice of Mr. Dowie had been a mighty force in the
propagandism of Zion. He may not have eloquence or be a
pleasing speaker, but his power to batter down antagonism
and establish his point was irresistible when one was a be
liever in his premises. "Wasn't he gifted with magnetism?
Didn't he cast a spell over his audiences? Didn't he hypno
tize his hearers?" These and similar questions have been
asked by way of suggesting what appears to be an explana
tion of his preaching power. But to answer yes, would not
be to solve Mr. Dowie. Upon me personally he has never
had any magnetic or any other sort of power. When in his
audience at different times, by an effort of will I have placed
myself at his disposal as far as possible. Before long a feel
ing of revulsion would dissipate all sympathetic relations
with his discourse. Yet many, certainly all of his followers,
appeared to enjoy hearing him, and have been loud in his
praises as a proclaimer of the truth. One thing about him
that seems to be the real basis of his influence in a public
service, and which again and again impressed itself upon me,
was the tremendous energy of the man. Vitality, expended
most prodigally in a public service, especially the larger meet
ings, gave him his grip. He was constantly in action. Ab
solute tirelessness seemed to characterize his evangelism when
handling a big audience ; he pleaded, commanded, satirized,
denounced, commended, threatened ; he dramatized, he irn.-
personated and with blunt, overbearing assertion, forced his
point, at least with those in any way susceptible. For long
hours he would have the center of the platform, and unwearied
himself, he would wear out by sheer strength, any not borne
along on the tide of his argumentation or emotion. *

He also furnished impulse for his people. "Zion doesn't
endeavor, Zion does" came to be a driving thought with his

* This opinion is reinforced by that of many friends and acquaintances
of mine who have heard him.

PROPAGANDA 103

people, not because he said it, but because he embodied it,
and it transformed them one and all into active, forth-going
propagandists. Zion thus in the sphere of its point of con
tact became well nigh irresistible. Mr. Dowie was, in addi
tion, an organizer of ability and exhaustlessness. He vis-
ioned the possibilities and then placed his forces so as to real
ize them.

At the beginning of the organization of the church he ar
ranged for the different officers of administration and religious
work. As the church grew the organization was adapted, and
workers trained, to meet the growing needs. In Chicago con
siderable religious work was done by the Zion people in twos.
Mr. Dowie says, speaking of his organization known as the
Zion Restoration Host: *

"They are picked members of the church whom we first
organized in twos and then made tens, and then made
them seventies, and thoroughly trained them. We have eight
to ten thousand of them in all parts of the world and they
are under special vow to God and to myself as Klijah the
Restorer." t

This host was organized as late as September i, 1902, but as
seventies, tens and twos, had been doing effective work long
before that time, in systematically spreading Zion views, and
carrying forward the propaganda of the organization. Mr.
Dowie says ''Every one of my people is, as a worker, worth
ten in the other churches, t I will give you an illustration:
These three thousand of Zion Restoration Host were trained
very carefully for the 1903 visitation. I had a map of New
York made as large as the wall of this room and 1 hung it at
Shiloh tabernacle at Zion City, and marked upon it all the

* Havana Interview, L. of H., March 4, 1905.

t See Introduction for Zion Restoration Vow.

t Sectarianism in its early stages is always able to "gang" its people
better and get greater loyalty and enthusiasm than later. It is a sort ot
struggle for life itself. Add to this the newness and glow of it all and we
have the explanation of Mr. Dowie's statement.

io4 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

railroads and streets, and car lines of the cit}^ of New York,
including Brooklyn. Then we trained our people in seven
ties. They had covered Chicago eight times in one year,
visiting almost every house in it eight times. So we trained
them by calling upon a captain of a ten and asking him how
he would reach and work a certain district. Then he would
explain how he would reach the district from our headquar
ters at Madison Square Garden, and how he would distribute
his workers over the territory to be worked and how he would
gather them together again. If I asked him, or her, what
they would do if one were missing, they would reply that they
would not leave the district until that one was found. The
consequence was that in fourteen days, these three thousand,
and perhaps a thousand more that joined us in New York,
visited evenr house, business place, every ship and every sec
tion of New York, and delivered 4,200,000 little printed mes
sages, with the kind words given by Christ ' Peace be to this
house.'

ZION CITY, Illinois; October 1st, 1903.
To the People of New York:—

In the Name of the Christ, the King of Kings, I greet you with His
Message— PEACE BE TO THIS HOUSE, and send you these words:

As Elijah the Restorer, accompanied by a Legion of Three Thousand
Messengers of Zion Restoration Host, 1 have arranged for a Visitation of
your City from Lord's Day, October 18, to November 1st, in Madison
Square Garden, and on November 3, 5, 6 and 8 in Carnegie Hall.

Beneath the Banner of the Christian Catholic Church in Zion, and the
Stars and Stripes, I shall proclaim—

(1) The Everlasting Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

(2) Repentance, Restitution, Salvation; Healing and Holy Living.

(3) Baptism by Tri-une Immersion.

(4) Obedience, the Eleven Commandments and the Law of Love.

(5) Christian Union and Co-operation in Church, Home, Business and

State.

(6) The Downfall of all forms of Apostacy, Secrecy and Tyranny.

(7) "The Restoration of all things. -(Acts 3:19-26).
All who come will be heartily welcome.

Faithfully your friend and God's servant,

JOHN ALEX. DOWIE.

PROPAGANDA 105

This is a sample of the way Mr. Dowie has pushed Zion's
evangelistic work. I was present in Zion City at an after
noon service wrhen he was giving- general instructions for the
visitation, and marvelled at the grasp of detail that he had,
and the apparent reach of his information.

The dividing of Chicago into parishes and the thorough
ness with which the city has been canvassed also witness to
his organizing skill and give a partial explanation as to why
Chicago, from the beginning of his work there, has yielded
him so many followers.

There is the general assembty held at Central Zion Taber
nacle, Michigan Avenue and i6th Street, Sundays at three
p. m., which all the Chicago members attend more or less
regularly. It is a means of preserving the esprit de corp of
the Zion movement in Chicago. There were eight parishes
in Chicago (December, 1905) dividing the city; Central, West,
Northwest, North German, Northeast, South, and West Ger
man, in charge of an elder with services morning and evening
of Sunday, and a midweek service. A divine healing meeting
for teaching and healing is held in nearly all the parishes by
regular appointment. The elders in charge of a parish serve
a longer or shorter term as the work may demand, but a sys
tem of pastoral changes has been followed for the most part.*
Each parish is thoroughly organized and is in close touch
with the central authority at Zion City, where an ecclesiasti
cal secretary keeps all important affairs recorded, and comes
to know the details of each parish from the elder in charge.
All these records and information have been immediately ac
cessible to Mr. Dowie who could know in a moment the
standing of every parish, could see the progress made by the
elder in charge, the wealth represented, and any item which
would be of use in keeping his hand upon affairs. He has
been generous enough with the church moneys to provide
fairly competent men for these parishes, and it has been they

* Mr. Dowie has always kept in the leading place in Zion affections so
far as he could.

io6 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

who have borne the burden of the work of spreading Zion
views in the great city of Chicago.

The organization of one of these parishes as explained to
me by the elder in charge is as follows : It covers approxi
mately sixteen square miles and is divided into sixteen sec
tions, each section being subdivided into sixteen districts with
a deaconess in charge. These deaconesses do what is known
as "seventy work" — going two and two to look out prospect
ive members, to visit the sick, and to distribute or sell litera
ture. They fill in reports for the elder who visits wherever
especially needed. They get applications for membership
signed, to be examined and passed upon by the elder and sent
to headquarters.

The elder in charge has the full right of discipline and the
entire organization is back of him. He "brings people to
repentance," which means substantially that the people are
compelled to live in accord with the Zion strict legalistic code
of ethics based on the Bible. The elder sees that the tithes
are collected and sent to headquarters, and his salary and ex
penses of the parish, are checked back to him. This is sub
stantially the idea of organization wherever a Zion branch
exists. Through the tithes and offerings of the people which
during 1905 amounted to about $1000 a day, * the expenses
of keeping the machinery of organization running is met.

The spread of Zion teaching in other parts of the world,
apart from Mr. Dowie's personal work, has been as we have
said, by means of Leaves of Healing and the individual mem
ber. But special evangelists have also been used and mis
sions have been conducted in various places. In some places
by one series of services people have been won in sufficient
numbers to be formed into a branch. As opportunit}^ offered
and necessity arose, buildings were rented for the establish
ing of stations, or at least for the holding of missions. When

* This has been denied and affirmed by Zion people. The amount is
too large for an average through the year, but has been reached on some
days.

PROPAGANDA 107

of sufficient importance as a branch of Zion, an elder was
sent to take charge, organize and extend the influence of Zion,
or as they are pleased to say, the Kingdom of God. For ex
ample the work at Hammond, Ind., or Bluffton, O., or Cin
cinnati, O., or London, Eng., or Johannesburg, South Africa,
or Melbourne, Australia. In whatever place people who
sympathized with Zion made themselves known, some way
was devised to make them a distributing center of Zion teach
ing. In any case they were made a member of the parent
church at Zion City, and a further unit of propagandism. As
a matter of fact these evangelists have met with a varying
reception and success according to the temper of the commu
nity to which they have gone, but persecution has seldom
daunted them. They are usually capable of meeting any
opposition of an argumentative sort by tightly clinched Bible
arguments with which they are so perfectly familiar as to
make their opponents seem unlearned in the Scriptures, when
one attempts public refutation. This all of course upon a
literal authoritative basis of Scripture interpretation as we
have before noticed.

A Zion evangelist gave me a sample of the argumentation
he had used to overcome prejudice and unbelief with respect
to the doctrine of divine healing. Its plausibility would over
come some and at least start trains of reflection which would
bother many.

1 "The objection is raised 'all are not healed.' I answer,
'Neither are all saved.' '

2 "Greatest cases of sickness are rarely healed." Ans
wer, "Greatest sinners, for example, are seldom saved."

3 "You pray for people who do not meet the conditions."
Answer, " I do the same for people who do not meet the
conditions of salvation — I can not know — that is their fault."

4 " Is it God's will to heal all?" Answer, "is it God's
will to save all ?"

5 "Some become sick again." Answer, "Some become
sinners again."

io8 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

6 " Some die while you are praying for them." Answer,
"Some are lost while we are praying for them."

7 "Some never get faith for healing." Answer, "Some
never get faith for salvation."

8 "Some renounce their faith in divine healing." Answer,
" Some renounce their faith in salvation."

9 "How do I know who is right?" Answer, "Same
for salvation — what do the Scriptures say ?"

10 People make the same excuse not to be healed as they
do not to get saved.

11 The Kingdom of God has come for Body same as for
Spirit. I. Thess. 5:24.

12 "it takes such wonderful faith to be healed." Answer,
"Same for salvation."

13 Men are lost by sin also made sick by sin. Same
cure — the atonement of Christ.

14 "Many healed but die." Answer, "Many saved but
die."

15 "God sends doctors to heal." Answer, 'Then he
sends moral doctors to save, no need of Christ. Absurdit3r,
blasphemy."

And so it runs. A forceful speaker well equipped with a
few Scripture verses arranged in an orderly way and really
believing in the doctrines himself wouldn't have great trouble
in convincing some, especially where the point of contact
which4 we have discussed was possible at all.

Some of the men chosen by Mr. Dowie to conduct these
branches and do the evangelistic work, have been men of
considerable ability and devotion to the cause they represent.
Overseer Voliva in Australia had very good success in fur
thering Zion's interests in that distant land, and was instru
mental in sending a large number to Zion City. It remains
to be seen how competent he is to administer the affairs of a
revolting Zion.

Others also have had good success, and with the far away
vision of a beautiful, clean and Godly city to conjure with, and

PROPAGANDA IOQ

a firm belief in Mr. Dowie and the triumph of Zion to furnish
inspiration, have spread their teaching far and wide, and
gathered recruits from many places.

CHAPTER VII.

DIVINE HEALING OF ZIO-N.

We have used the expression "divine healing" frequently,
as describing the therapeutical agency made use of by the
founder of Zion in establishing and furthering his organiza
tion, and have indicated that it was the chief point of contact
with those who were accessible to Zion. It now remains to
examine more closely just what is meant by divine healing,
how it comes to take such strong hold of some minds as an
article of faith, how it is related to or differs from other drug-
less remedies (if it does), and what explanation scientists,
especially psychologists, have to offer for the phenomena in
connection with it.

Faith in "faith cures" has come to be almost a fad. It may
be referred to as the Mind-Cure Movement, and will thus take
in Christian Science and the independent mental healers who
are its offspring, faith healers of all sorts, the divine healing
teaching and practice of Mr. Dowie, and mental therapeutics
as such. It is a movement almost entirely outside regularly
organized Christianity and in open conflict with evangelical
Protestantism at almost even' point. Prof. James savs, *

Within the churches a disposition has always prevailed to
regard sickness as a visitation: something sent for good,
either as chastisement, as warning, or as opportunity of exer
cising virtue, and, in the Catholic church, of earning 'merit.'
'Illness,' says a good Catholic writer (P. Lejeune: Introd. a
la Vie Mystique, 1899, p. 218), ' is the most excellent of cor
poreal mortifications, the mortification which one has not
one's self chosen, which is imposed directly by God, and is
the direct expression of His will.' According to this view

* Varieties of Religious Experiences, p. 113.

DIVINE HEALING OF ZION in

disease should in any case be submissively accepted, and it
might under certain circumstances even be blasphemous to
wish it away."

That this is practically the attitude of Protestant Christi
anity the multitude of pulpit polemics against Christian Sci
ence and Mr. Dowie bear abundant witness.

Prof. James says further, "Of course there have been ex
ceptions to this and cures by special miracle have at all times
been recognized within the church's pale; almost all the great
saints having more or less performed them. It is one of the
heresies of Edward Irving to maintain them still to be possi
ble." It might be added that this is one of the numerous
heresies of Mormonism as well, and of various smaller sects
in different parts of the world to-day. That the age of mira
cles has passed, that is, miracles of healing as such, is the
all but universal belief or rather attitude of Protestantism in
the first decade of the 2Oth century.

With almost spontaneous simultaneousness different forms
of denial of this belief have sprung up and for the past gene
ration have made and are making great headway. The Mind-
Cure Movement is one that has to be reckoned with because
of its philosophical, psychological, religious and therapeutical
significance. Christian Science claims 100,000 devotees and
the New Thought is permeating nearly all popular literature ;
not to speak of the many thousands who have directly or indi
rectly been affected by Mr. Dowie's more technically religious
divine healing teaching, and the teaching of others holding
substantially the same ideas.

It is a revolt against the powerlessness of the Christian
church or its unwillingness to mediate help and health to the
present life. Again quoting from Prof. James, * "in Mind-
Cure circles the fundamental article of faith is that disease
should never be accepted. It is wholly of the pit, God wants
us to be absolutely healthy and we should not tolerate our
selves on any lower basis."

*Op. cit. p. 113.

H2 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

It would be objected by believers in divine healing as such
that they are not to be classified in this way. Mr. Dowie
has taken pains to denounce all other sects of mind curers as
"diabolical counterfeiters" of his own exclusively divine heal
ing, but he really "must on the whole be counted into the
Mind-Cure Movement." So Prof. James.

There is one surface difference certainly and in the indica
ting of that we begin our definition of divine healing as held
by Mr. Dowie. He regards sin and disease as realities * to
be removed by direct divine interposition in answer to the
prayer of faith which effects this display of divine power.
"Not healing by faith but through faith; through faith in
Jesus by the power of God," he says, t ' It is not by subject
ive influences alone, but by the active operation of the power
of God, that the healing comes according to his theory. Other
phases of the Mind-Cure Movement speak of sin and disease
as errors of the mortal mind, nonentities, unrealities, origina
ting in error ; to be removed by becoming convinced they do
not exist. Mr. Dowie posits a devil or devils as corrupting
the body with actual sin and disease, to be routed and put to
flight by the power of the spirit of God in accordance with
the written Word.

The outline of Mr. Dowie's theory of healing as he has
published it in almost every issue of L. of H. is as follows:

GOD'S WAY OF HEALING.

GOD'S WAY OF HEALING is A PERSON, NOT A THING.

Jesus said "I am the way, and the Truth, and the Life," and He has
ever been revealed to His people in all the ages by the Covenant
Name, Jehovah-Rophi, or " 1 am Jehovah that Healeth thee."
(John 14:6; Exodus 15:26).

THE LORD JESUS, THE CHRIST, is STILL THE HEALER.

He cannot change, for "Jesus, the Christ, is the same yesterday and
to-day, yea and forever;" and he is still with us, for He said: "Lo, I
am with you all the Days, even unto the Consummation of the Age."

* See later discussion under Doctrine.

t Pamphlet, Talks with Ministers on Divine Healing.

DIVINE HEALING OF ZION 113

(Hebrews 13:8; Matthew 28:20). Because He is Unchangeable, and
because He is present, in spirit; just as when in the flesh, He is the
Healer ot His people.

DIVINE HEALING RESTS ON THE CHRIST'S ATONEMENT.

It was prophesied of Him, "Surely He hath borne our griefs (Hebrew,
sickness,) and carried our sorrows: . . . and with His stripes we
are healed;" and it is expressly declared that this was fulfilled in His
Ministry of Healing, which still continues. (Isaiah S3:4, 5; Matthew
8:17.)

DISEASE CAN NEVER BE GOD'S WILL.

It is the Devil's work, consequent upon Sin. and it is impossible for
the work of the Devil ever to be the Will of God. The Christ came
to "destroy the works of the Devil," and when He was here on earth
He healed "all manner ot disease and all manner of sickness," and all
these sufferers are expressly declared to have been "oppressed of the
Devil." (1 John 3:8; Matthew 4:23; Acts 10:38).

THE GIFTS OF HEALING ARE PERMANENT.

It is expressly declared that the "Gifts and the calling of God are
without repentance," and the Gifts of Healing are amongst the Nine
Gifts of the Spirit to the Church. (Romans 11:29; 1 Corinthians
12:8-11).

THERE ARE FOUR MODES OF DIVINE HEALING.

The first is the direct prayer of faith; the second, intercessory prayer
of two or more; the third, the annointing of the elders, with the prayer
of faith; and the fourth, the laying on of hands of those who believe,
and whom God has prepared and called to that ministry. (Matthew
8:5-13; Matthew 18:19; James 5:14, 15; Mark 16:18.)

In his addresses he emphasizes two points.* First, that
Jesus is unchanged in power and will. That he is as much
present in power and in spirit to-day as when he stood in the
rlesh upon the earth. "This being so we have ever presented
in our teaching that He is able, that He is willing, that He is
present, and that He is longing to heal His people as in the
days of His flesh." Second, (under the necessity of repiti-
tion) that disease is God's enemy, and the devil's work, and
can never be God's will. "When Jesus heals he is not un
doing the work of the Father, but the work of Satan. The

*See Talks with Ministers on Divine Healing, p. 3 ff .

ii4 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

will of God is to heal now, as it was centuries ago, all who be
lieve. . . We teach also 'the redemption of the body,' (Rom.
8:23) that 'the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our
mortal flesh' (2 Cor. 4:11). This redemption of the bod}' was
never taught by Jesus as something belonging to the hereaf
ter. He taught that this \vas to be the continuous work of
the Holy Spirit in all ages. . . . We have no teaching outside
of the Word of God in this matter. We do not present our
theories, we hold fast to Jesus' words." .

This has an element of popularity, in that it is hitched on
to the traditional orthodoxy of Protestantism. It would be
a difficult task indeed to combat the theory upon Mr. Dowie's
own ground, and it would seem that the inconsistency lies
with the churches which deny the present power of Jesus to
heal when acknowledging his presence to bless and give moral
guidance.

There is a transition from theory to practice which we must
notice in our analysis of Mr. Dowie's position. He quotes,
"They cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them
out of their distresses," (Ps. 107:6) and says, "and we do
not believe that he does this by pills and potions and plasters,
but, 'he sendeth forth his word and healeth them, and deliv-
ereththem.'" (Ps. loynyff.). *

Mr. Dowie further, "And so the whole mission is first of
all a teaching mission, and is based on the Word of God.
We therefore present that word as fully as we can alwa}Ts re
membering that this was the way in which Christ carried out
His great earthly mission. He taught, he preached, he

* It might suffice on this point to say that Mr. Dowie in theory has
been opposed to doctors and drugs as have the Christian Science people—
holding that it is distrusting God to resort to their use. His consistency
has been questioned as he has had the services of a physician at least to
diagnose cases at different times. This licensed medical doctor, Mr.
Speicher, has been associated with him since the beginning of his Chi
cago work. Dentists ply their trade in Zion City and it is reported that
in addition to having his teeth cared for he has employed an occulist for
his diseased eves.

DIVINE HEALING OF Z1ON 115

healed. Matthew 4:25 and 9:35 have exactly the same
phraseology. Jesus went about all the cities and vil
lages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gos
pel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of diseases
and all manner of sickness.' Teaching came first. That
is the divine order in which it was ever put and the King
dom of God can only be extended by that three-fold min
istry. . . . We have found in connection with this beautiful
fact of the gospel of divine healing that it is put after salva
tion. . . . We remind our readers that it is written, 'Bless
the Lord, Oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits : Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities ; who healeth all thy diseases,'
(Ps. 103:2, 3). Forgiveness first and healing second. Jesus
put it in the same order : ' Son, be of good cheer : thy sins
are forgiven,' preceded 'arise, and take up thy bed, and go
unto thine house," (Matt. 9:1-7).

"So wre have taught that God requires saving faith on the
part of those who come to seek him for healing. There must
first be a surrender of the spirit, and a reception of Christ as
Saviour from sin, and that is the sine qua non, a condition
without which we can not ask the Lord acceptably for heal
ing. We have nothing whatever to do with those who will
not first receive Christ as Saviour. Divine healing is the
children's bread and it can not be given to those who are wil
fully children of the Devil, for these can not exercise faith."

The real point is that the teaching is a part of the healing
process, and here, perhaps instinctively, Mr. Dowie and di
vine healers are in accord, in the underlying principle of ope
ration at least, with Christian Scientists who hold readings
and give instructions as a basis of healing.

With this method of procedure, agree substantially all the
testimonies of those for whom Mr. Dowie has been the agency
of healing. * Zion's people delight to honor the "teaching,"
and to those who doubt they say in substance, "you would

*See Chapters, Point of Contact, and People of Zion, also testimonials
in L. of H.

n6 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

see it if you would come and get some of the teaching."
There is just a suggestion of something mysterious or eso
teric here and the ''teaching" is regarded more or less rever
ently as something in itself possessed of efficacy.

The teaching represents among other things, repentance,
which means a forsaking of known sin and a restitution or
making right of all wrongs so far as possible, with a seeing
and receiving of Christ * This has been the method of prepa
ration to receive the blessing, at least for those who receive it
consciously, and it puts the subject in a position of mental
submission to the healer as a voicer of God's requirements.
We must keep this in mind as we proceed in order to be able
to arrive at an understanding of the underlying law of Mr.
Dowie's practice, f

"Receptive faith," says M-r. Dowie, "must be followed bv
a retentive faith, a faith which holds fast to Christ," (psy
chologically — fixity of attention). "That is followed by act
ive faith; a true Christian must work for Christ." This
simply serves to intensify the idea of submission on the active
side. "Active faith must be followed by passive faith, the
highest and yet the lowliest, form — a strong Christian calmh7
resting in the Lord. It is not in our seeing, our receiving,
our holding fast, or our working that the power lies ; power
comes to him who is fully resting in the Lord." In the report
of sworn testimony given in the Justice Court of Hyde Park,
Chicago, J Mr. Dowie is questioned and answers as follows:

: "1 understand the general conditions to be repentance and restoration
as far as possible where wrongs have been committed against others." —
Personal letter to me trom Zion officer.

f "Getting right with God," is a favorite phrase in Zion. I have heard
it in the devotional meetings many times, and once in a meeting a young
girl in a wheel chair was seeking healing and this was about all the
leader had to say to her, "submit entirely to God and get right with him."
The words "submit entirely" are significant for all faith healings whether
by mental therapeutics, hypnotism, suggestion, or Christian Science.

JCase, City of Chicago vs. John Alexander Dowie, before Justice
Quinn, June 19, 189S.

DIVINE HEALING OF ZION 117

O. "Do you ever pray with anyone who is not a Christian
and who does not profess to be ?

A. Never. I teach in the Tabernacle with a view of bring
ing men and women to repentance. Then I teach them to
have faith in Christ for salvation, and then in Christ for heal
ing. We require absolutelv that no person shall apply to be
admitted in the healing room who is not a Christian, and any
persons who enter that room, enter it telling a lie, if they are
not Christians.

Q. Do you remember Mr. Kehoe ?

A. I dp. I always ask two questions in the healing room
in the tabernacle, which contains seventy at a time. The
people are admitted by tickets given awav gratuitously and
only to professing Christians. I ask first, 'So far as you
know your own heart, have you repented of your sins and
given yourself entirely to God in the name of Jesus for salva
tion ?' Then comes the response, 'Yes sir.' Are you de
termined by his grace to rest in him alone for healing ? ' Yes
sir.' Then I usually say, Are there anv here who are not
Christians ? If so you know that you are here under false
pretenses, that God, therefore, can not bless you, and you
are required at once to leave if you are deceiving.' '

Two things are seen to be essential and have been found
to be efficacious. The real analysis, however plausible that
of Mr. Dowie may seem, is, (a) fixity, or concentration of
attention, (b) submission. Thus the patient is prepared.

There is also a relation between the specific sort of prepara
tion, which is truly religious (in this sense rightly divine),
based upon a certain form of teaching, and the actual object
ive practice of divine healers of the Mr. Dowie class. Disease
is conceived of as a reality and inheres as such in the body.
God is conceived of vividly as an objective entity and exerts
the sort of powrer that can remove this disease directly by his
touch, or immediate influence of his spirit. We would natur
ally expect the practices of the healer to be adapted to this
belief, rather than to accord with that of the Christian Sci-

nS JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

ence practitioner, for example, whose presuppositions with
regard to the underling cause of disease and healing are so
different. And it is so.

Of the four modes of healing which Mr. Dowie says are
scriptural, two, "the anointing of the elders, with the prayer
of faith, and the laying on of hands of those who believe and
whom God has prepared and called to that ministry," are
definitely objective, and correspond to the kind of expec
tancy which the teaching has created in the mind of the pa
tient. Mr. Dowie and his elders have practiced these two
forms, and a majority of the testimonies would show that
laying on of hands had been resorted to especially in the
earlier and more fruitful ministry of Mr. Dowie. *

He says himself that the majority need teaching, which in
dicates that he or some one capable of instructing and prac
ticing the ministry of healing needs to be with the patient.
In all cases so far as I know the usual practice when the
patient is present, has been prayer with the laying on of
hands, altho I have only attended a few healing meetings and
never was so fortunate as to see any one healed.

In the court proceedings referred to, a witness, Mr. Shel
drake, testifies as follows : t

CROSS EXAMINATON.

Q. "You didn't go there for the purpose of taking the treat
ment yourself ?

A. I did not.

Q. You found people there who were trying to get cured of
diseases ?

A. Yes sir.

Q. And they remained there ?

A. They lived there while I was there.

* Almost all Zion people confess that in the earlier years of his minis
try greater power was manifested. After Mr. Dowie became wealthy
and careless he was shorn of power.

f See above, p. 1 16.

DIVINE HEALING OF /ION ug

Q. Does the doctor come and pray with them in tin- homes,
or in the Tabernacle only ?

A. He prays with those in the homes. IK- prays with tin-
people who come from the outside, and also from the homes,
in the Tabernacle.

O. My question was whether he prayed in the homes or in
the Tabernacle only ?

A. Both in the homes and in the Tabernacle.

O. Did you see Dr. Dowie, at any time when he prayed
with the sick lay his hands on their heads ?

A. I did.

Q. Does he every time he prays with the sick ?

A. Every time I saw him.

Q. Will you please explain to the jury how he places his
hands ?

A. He places his hands on the head, touches the eyes
lightly, ears, and back of the neck : or the part affected, gen
erally. If it is a paralyzed arm he strokes his hands gently
down the arm. Or on the parts affected."

With this discussion of theory and practice in divine heal
ing as represented by Mr. Dowie before us, we defer coming
to our final conclusions, in order to notice some of the results
and reports of healings. Much sifting must be done here,
and the task seems almost hopeless. If we could take* at face
value all the reports of cures and printed testimony which
Mr. Dowie has edited and issued, our work would be simpli
fied. But his career is shadowed bv falsehood and deceit,
clever trickerv and misrepresentation, as indicated in our
other chapters, and in the printed confession of Deacon New-
comb. :;: One sayst of a prominent case of reputed healing
by Dr. Dowie reported in L. of H., Vol. Ill No. 3, ''Miss
Markley's (now Mrs. Piper) healing was reported in such a
way as to deceive all who read it. All believed the healing
was complete until they saw the girl, when they found that she

* See Leaves of Healing, April 7. 1906.

I- Tract— "Dowieism Exposed," Elder I. C. Bowman. Phila., Pa.

120 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

was as lame as ever. This was a great disappointment to
me as well as to many of my church. I felt sure it was not
right to practice this kind of deception through a religious
paper to make the Lord's work go. After talking with Miss
Markley I tried to accept her statement, also tried to satisfy
and pacify all the best I could. I always felt some misgiv
ings about such a 'botched job,' but much more about cover
ing up the facts. They told me that Dowie said that nature
would have to have its time for the bone to grow in below the
ankle; later some of them said that *Dr'. Dowie did not know
anything about the defective ankle when he prayed. What
ever the reason may be with all their boastings of her won
derful healing she is not healed, but limps to the present
time." He says further, "if all were approximately true
(yet f know they are not), they are purposely given so as to
deceive the masses of people. He uses cunning, worldly,
dishonest methods to succeed. Anyone who may doubt what
I say, let him do as many of us have done — sit down and
write to a number whose names and addresses are given in
the L. of H. and he will find the truthfulness of what I say.
The first time I visited the Home! expected to see many
healed. I wras there for three days, saw him pray for hundreds,
but did not see a marked healing. I have been there several
times since, and in all this time not one was healed."

What per cent of the reported healings the misrepresenta
tions of Mr. Dowie invalidates we can not know, but the evi
dence to substantiate any of them must consequently be
stronger than that given in printed testimony, and for the
severe cases well nigh overwhelming.

The number of failures of which nothing is said has been
very considerable, altho this would not affect our conclusions
with respect to the true explanation of healing in the genuine
cases. It sufficiently refutes the claim of all divine healers
however, that all manner of diseases are cured, or that it is
the Lord's will to heal all who sincerely and trustingly applv
to Him in prayer for healing. "Dr. Dowie reports a few

DIVINE HEAL1XG OF ZIOX

121

deaths in his homes, as many say, 'not yet healed,' tho they
are still hoping. Many of these finally give up in despair.
But the most conclusive indication of the extent of failure,
comes from Dr. Dowie's own statements. He says, in a cer
tain issue of his paper: 'I pray and lay my hands on 70,000
people in a year.' At that rate he would have praved with
175,000 in two and a half years. But in the two and a half
years immediately preceding this statement, he reports only
700 cures. The conclusion is indisputable that only a small
portion of those prayed with are cured."

Mr. Dowie's theory would give him a way of escape and
make it possible to throw the blame upon the patient on the
ground that there was still something wrong with the life,
and that the conditions had not been met. But we would
then have numberless repetitions of the situation of Job and
his friends, for in all this number of uncured ones we would
find many as devout and sincere, as good Christians and as
submissive and willing to fulfill the conditions, as any who
meet with better success. They could say of Mr. Dowie and
his elders, "Ye are all physicians of no value." t

In a stay of a week in Zion City I have seen the same per
sons who were crippled, or in a wheel chair, or otherwise
manifestly diseased, and there to seek healing, but no visible
help or change of condition during my stay.

The Manager of the Lace Factory says, t "As to healing.
Yes, I know of several cases of healing. One was in the
home in Chicago when we arrived and he was paralyzed in his

*L)r. H. H. Goddard: "The Effect of Mind on Body as evidenced by
Faith Cures," p. 35.

f In L. of H.. Feb. 4, 190=5, Mr. Dowie gives an account of his personal
attendant, Carl Stern, who had died after leaving Zion City to join him
in the Bahama Islands. He says, "He and those around him believed he
had been healed of his disease, and simply needed the rest and warmth
which he could find in Nassau to restore him to vigor and to work. " This
certainly does invalidate the testimony of every one in Zion, even the one
who experiences healing.

J Personal letter to me. April 29, 1905.

122 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

right arm and side and both legs. He recovered gradually
and is a well man to-day. I may say, however, that some
testimonials 1 have found much overdrawn and the people
have had symptoms constantly returning when they claim
they had perfect healing. A great many failures, too, more
than we know because they are never mentioned, but some I
have seen being lifted into the train going home disappointed.
A good few die, consumption especially. Mrs. Speicher died
of that disease. * Mrs. Dowie has heart trouble and has to
use herself with care."

This letter raises the further question of the competency of
the patient to give satisfactory testimony. That a number,
contrary somewhat to Mr. Dowie' s teaching, however, say they
are well and try to act as tho they were, (the result of the
kind of teaching A. B. Simpson has been giving for years) is
certainly true. Their theory is that to act or talk otherwise
would be to allow distrust to God to enter the life. Many
mistake tendency toward recovery, for complete cure ; or re
lieved feeling of any kind for full release, only to lapse back
into the old condition or worse, after their testimony has gone
forth.

With regard to competency of patients to give trustworthy
testimony, Dr. Buckley says, t "All honest and rational per
sons are competent to testify whether they feel sick, and
whether they seem better, or believe themselves to have en
tirely recovered after being prayed for and anointed . . . but
their testimony as to what disease they had or whether they
are entirely cured, is a different matter, and to have value

* There have been a number of sad deaths in Zion. Miss Esther A.
Dowie the only daughter of the founder was so badly burned on May 14,
1902, as to be past human help. Her father was with her the twelve
hours preceding her death, but nothing could be done to save her. A
physician was called in, but no one could blame the desperate father altho
it was at his request. Rather would we blame him had it not been done.
That he made capital out of the sad affair is true, but we forego a dis
cussion of the details.— See L. of H., May 17 and 24, 1902.

f Dr. J. M. Buckley, "Faith Healing," p. 7.

DIVINE HEALING OF Z1ON 123

must be scrutinized in every case by competent judges.
In general, diseases are internal or external. It is clear that
no individual can know positively the nature of any internal
disease that he has. The diagnosis of the most skillful physi
cian may be in error. Post-mortems in celebrated cases have
often shown that there had been an entire misunderstanding
of the malady. Hysteria can simulate every known com
plaint: paralysis, heart disease, and the worst forms of fever
and ague. Hypochondria, to which intelligent and highly
educated persons of sedentary habits brooding over their sen
sations are liable, especially if they are accustomed to read
rnedical works and accounts of diseases and their treatment,
will do the same. . . . Especially in women do the troubles
to which they are most subject give rise to hysteria, in which
condition they may firmly believe that they are afflicted with
disease of the spine, of the heart, or indeed of all the organs.
I heard an intelligent woman testify that she had ' heart-dis
ease, irritation of the spinal cord, and Bright's disease of the
kidneys, and had suffered from them all for ten years.' She
certainly had some symptoms of them all. . . . The forego
ing observations relate to internal diseases, but it is by no
means easy to determine what an external disease is. Tumors
are often mistaken for cancers, and cancers are of different
species — some incurable by any means known to the medical
profession, others curable. It is by these differences that
quack cancer doctors thrive. . . . There is also a difference
in tumors: some under no circumstances cause death; others
are liable to become. as fatal as a malignant pustule. . . . Often
the account of the cure has been exaggerated : relapses have
not been published, peculiar sensations still felt, and resisted,
have been omitted from the description, and the mode of cure
has been restricted to one act or a single moment of time,
when in response to questions it has appeared that it was
weeks or months before the person could be properly said to
be well. In all such cases it is obvious that the written testi
mony is of little value; indeed, it is seldom that a published

124 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE •

account in books supporting marvels of this kind shows any
sign of being written by a person who took the pains, if he
possessed the capacity, to investigate the facts accurately.
Frequent quotations of such accounts add nothing to their
credibilit}7 or value. . . . The object of these remarks is not
to discredit all testimony, but to show the conditions upon
which its value depends."

We are compelled to classify much of the Zion testimony
as suggested b_v this quotation, because of the cases we have
seen to be untrustworthy, and because of manifest exaggera
tion. For example: One of Mr. Dowie's celebrated cases
which is cited on a little slip printed for distribution, is of a
woman who claims to have been healed of nineteen cancers.
She swears to this in court. *

CROSS-EXAMINED BY MR. STUBBLEFIELD.

Q. ' What did you go there for ? Did you have cancer ?

A. I had nineteen cancers.

Q. Are you sure they were cancers ?

A. Well, I guess Drs. Link and Murphy ought to know.

Q. What became of the cancers ?

A. God took them away and I thank God for it.

Q. Dr. Dowie prayed for you ?

A. He prayed with me.

Did he give you any medicine ?

He did not know I had cancer. I came there and he
prayed with me in the name of the Lord Jesus, and he did it
in the presence of about a hundred ladies. I had no pain. I
had those cancers for seven and a half years. In eleven
weeks they were all gone. I have been healed of nineteen
cancers."

Mr. Dowie makes the following statement upon the death
of Carl Stern, his personal attendant : t

* See case formerly cited.

f Leaves ot Healing, February 4, 1905.

DIVINE HEALING OF Z1ON 125

"Dear Carl, he was so radiantly happy, and he believed that he had
received his healing, and was thanking God for His blessings to him !

And who shall say that he did not receive it? It is for him to know.
I believe with him that he did receive the healing of the disease, but that
the fmaj coming away of that horrid matter took so much of his already
exhausted strength that it left the heart's action too weak, and he ought
to have been able to be absolutely quiet after that. But we never know
what is best to do, and we do not see until it is too late oftentimes."

If this isn't a complete surrender of his whole position,
what is it ?

Here are some of the cases given in Leaves of Healing as
miraculous healings over the signature of the healed, given
in all good conscience. Some of these I have had corrobora
ted by former Zion people whom I know to be convinced that
thev are genuine, but who have no motive to laud Mr. Dowie,
in fact no longer believe in him :

MIRACULOUS HEALINGS.

TUMORS, ABCESSES, ETC. Vol. 1, No. 24— Miss Sadie Cody, healed
when dying of Spinal Inflammation, Spinal Abcesses, and Tumor, after
eight months' intense suffering.

RAISED FROM THE DEAD.— Vol. XVI, Page 86, and Vol. I. No. 31—
Mrs. Jennie Paddock, healed at the very moment of prayer, when dying
of abdominal Tumor.

SHORT LIMBS, PARTIAL PARALYSIS. — Vol. ill, No. 3 Mrs. Lydia
Markley-Piper, healed of Partial Paralysis and Short Limb, alter suffering
for sixteen years.

EPILEPSY.- Vol. Ill, No. 39, and Vol. V. No. 41— Elder F. A. Graves,
healed of Epilepsy after twenty years of suffering.

CANCER OF MOUTH AND BLOOD-POISONING. -Vol. ill, No. 48— Miss

Ethel Post, healed of Cancer of the Mouth and Blood-Poisoning, alter her
case was considered hopeless by Eminent Physicians.

NINETEEN CANCERS.— Vol. IV, No. 34— Mrs. Mary Casey-Gough,
healed of one large and eighteen small cancers when Specialists said there
was no hope for her.

BRIGHT'S DISEASE, HEART TROUBLE, ETC. -Vol. IV, No. 46— Mrs.
Vina Peck-Graves, healed of Curvature of the Spine, Bright's Disease of
the Kidneys, Heart Trouble, Detective Eyesight, Headaches, and Nerv
ousness, after two years of awful suffering.

TUMOR.— Vol. V, No. 17— Mrs. Sara Leggett-Brooks, healed instantly,
when dying, at the time of laying on of hands and prayer.

I26 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

CANCER OF THE THROAT.— Vol. V, No. 32-Delia King, healed of a
terrible Cancer of the Throat over twelve years ago, about eighty-seven
years of age and enjoying good health.

HORRIBLY CRUSHED AND BROKEN LEG AND FOOT.— Vol. VI, No.

23, and Vol. IX, No. 18 — Christopher McCormick, healed of Kidney
Trouble, Blindness, and horribly Crushed and Broken Leg and Foot.

TOBACCO, LIQUOR, CONSUMPTION, ETC. — Vol. VII, No. 5 — Testi
mony of George D.Chenoweth, formerly of Harvey, Illinois, now of Zion
City, Illinois.

RUPTURE, SPINAL TROUBLE, AND WHOOPING-COUGH.— V. IX, No.
23— Miss Edith A. Hoskin gave up truss and was healed of rupture and
spinal trouble, and spasms resulting from whooping-cough.

CONSUMPTION, CURVATURE OF THE SPINE.— Vol. XI, No. 21— Miss

Mary Hornshuh healed of Consumption, Curvature of Spine, and other
diseases.

FIBROUS TUMOR.— Vol. XI, No. 16— Mrs. Isaac Mill, instantly healed
when at the point of death from Fibroid Tumor.

TERRIBLE INJURY, CANCER.— Vol. XIII, No. 3— Noble E. Ryther,
quickly healed of terrible injury; his wife delivered from Cancer.

The healing of Mrs. Isaac Mill is generally held by resi
dents of Zion City, to have been the last marked miracle of
healing. After all the talk about divine healing in connection
with Zion City this case occurring three years ago is practi
cally the last with the exception of the recoveries from slight
ailments, such as are daily taking place in any community.
There will be multitudes of these of course, and among a
people already convinced of the truth of the theory of divine
healing they will all be cases coming under that head.

But what of the marked healings ? The antecedent proba
bility is against their having occurred under just the condi
tions and with the miraculous interpretation the patient has
given. Parallel cases such as those given Up by physicians
to die, the patient contrary to expectation fully recovering,
can be cited in any community, and they occur with tolerable
frequence. ¥ It is more than likely that an unusual number
of such cases would come within the scope of Zion influence

* It would be interesting in any group of persons to ask for particulars
as to such cases and see how many know of such.

DIVINE HEALING OE /ION 127

and notice. They would all IK- cited as miraculous without
careful investigation.

Are we to accept as genuine any of the cancer cures ? The
medical profession says the malignant cancer is incurable.
They are either correct and cancer is incurable by any means
at present known, in which case wrong diagnosis is a part of
the explanation, or the divine healer has accomplished the
scientifically impossible. There is no reason why medical
science has a right to affirm that what it has found no cure
for, can not be cured. It is fair for the divine healer to urge
this. Dr. Goddard says, * ''The physician who knows the
whole history, the physiology and etiology of cancer, who has
seen every kind of remedy tried, including divine healing,
without success, is the first to admit his mistake when he
sees the disease that he has thought was cancer, cured. He
can not do anything else and he would do the same if his own
remedies had cured the disease."

'The mental scientist (or divine healer) however, again
complains, and with apparent justice, that it is illogical and
unscientific for the doctor of medicine to make an arbitrary
classification and to declare all disease incurable which he
has been unable to cure. And when a new claimant for thera
peutic honors comes into the field, he rejects it on the basis
of the old determination that such diseases are incurable.
The argument is good, and yet, so long as the physician puts
himself under the same rule, he can not be accused of unfair
ness. In reality his procedure is the only one possible. Any
other would lead to inextricable contusion.

We must act on the basis of what is most probable; and
in this mental science stands on the same ground as any drug.
Whenever any remedy, be it drug or idea, is shown to cure
cancer oftener than the law of chance will allow spontaneous
cure or wrong diagnosis, then and not until then will it be
accepted as specific for that disease."

*Op. cit. pp. 28. 29.

128 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

The questions of diagnosis and of the adequacy of testi
mony, while of extreme importance, can never be settled.
Men will differ in their judgments here. The patient's own
diagnosis or that of a quack doctor is of no value.

Any of the testimony of Zion people elicited in public by
Mr. Dowie when addressing them and asking these who have
been healed of certain diseases to stand, must be rated as ab
solutely valueless. It would not be accepted anywhere as
scientific testimony. And the same holds good of not a little
of the printed testimony for reasons discussed above.

But cures do take place. Many can say, have said, and
appearances bear it out, "whereas I was sick, I am now well."
I have no reason to doubt any of the personal letters from
followers of Mr. Dowie to me as being insincere or wilfully
misrepresenting the real experience. Allowing liberally for
a coefficient of enthusiasm and erroneous diagnosis and the
like, I am convinced that these people know themselves to
have been healed as assuredly as amr one would who had gone
to a regular practitioner and received help. Dr. Goddard
says, * "Another class of cases that is quoted as among the
most startling, has to do with muscular functions. These are
the inability to walk, from various causes, such as one leg
short, paralysis, sprain, etc., etc. Dr. Dowie prays with these
people, tells them to walk, and they obey, much to the sur
prise of all, and to the glory of God as they devoutly be
lieve." Dr. Goddard made an extensive study of some of
Mr. Dowie's earlier reputed healings and this is a part of his
findings. I was convinced of the genuineness of a number of
Mr. Dowie's healings by being present in Zion City, April
10, 1906, the day when he was expected back from Mexico
after having been shorn of authority by the regime under
Overseer Voliva. I talked with the people who had loved
their deposed leader with complete devotion because they
were assured that he had been the agency of blessing to them,
and it was all the harder to renounce him as he had been the

*Op. dr., p. 30.

DIVINE HEALING OF ZION 129

instrument of their healing. Many with whom I talked that
day had experienced healing at his hands.

However, we are not by any means to regard all genuine
healings as miraculous, altho they have taken place simulta
neous with, or soon after the praying and laying on of hands
by Mr. Dowie or one of Zion's accredited teachers, even when
the diagnosis is approximately correct and the testimony per
fectly sincere and reasonably reliable. They would be so
reported by Zion as signs or evidence of their teaching being
divine.

There is no a priori reason that seems to me valid for saying
that the miracles which occurred in New Testament times may
not occur in ours, but certain things have to be noticed with
respect to all recoveries from sickness under whatever system
of treatment and whenever occurring, in addition to those we
have already discussed. We must take into account at all times
what is known as vis medicatrix naturae, the final element in
all recoveries. Dr. Buckley* quotes Sir John Forbes, M. D.,
one of the eminent regular physicians of England as saying :
"First, that in a large proportion of the cases treated by allo
pathic physicians, the disease is cured by nature, and not by
them. Second, that in a lesser but still not a small propor
tion, the disease is cured by nature in spite of them ; in other
\vords, their interference retarding instead of assisting the
cure. Third, that in, consequently, a considerable propor
tion of diseases it would fare as well or better with patients if
all remedies — at least all active remedies, especially drugs-
were abandoned." He also quotes Sir John Marshall, F. R.
S., as follows: "The vis medicatrix naturae is the agent to
employ in the healing of an ulcer, or the union of a broken
bone ; and it is equally true that the physician or surgeon
never cured a disease ; he only assists the natural processes
of cure performed by the intrinsic conservative energy of the
frame, and this is but the extension of the force imparted at
the origination of the individual being."
*Op. cit. p. 277.

i3o JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

This force has helped Mr. Dowie and all divine healers to
secure cures, and in a large number of cases would if left en
tirely free bring about recovery. The inherent powers of re
cuperation in the ordinary constitution are all but marvellous,
and many cases which seem to be in extremis, recover because
the natural vitality is sufficient. A physician told me that
twenty-seven out of twenty-eight sick persons of all kinds of
cases, mild and severe included, would recover if left alone,
provided the cares and worries and nervous strains of civili
zation could be removed for the time. * Mind curers and
divine healers seek and accomplish the concentrating of the
thought of the patient upon health, or life, or God, and so re
move the obstructions to nature's free working. The divine
healers dare all kinds of cases if the religious conditions set
forth above are complied with, and it would be impossible
that they fail to pray and lay on hands coincident with the
recovery, or at least the cessation of pain and symptoms, of a
great many of their patients. The proportion of their heal
ings in different types of cases does not differ greatly from
those of materia medica, unless perhaps in neurotic cases
where the presence of care and anxiety is a hindering cause.

It occurs not infrequently that cases practically given up
by regular physicians are cured by faith healers of one sort
or another (and Mr. Dowie at this point has no advantage
over his diabolical counterfeits ) because the very thing
necessary to release the springs of nature's new life is some
kind of mental or volitional dynamic. But we are running
ahead — the point here is that multitudes of people get well
if let alone, or if assisted a little to lay their worries one side
and adopt the dynamic idea of health or wholeness.

For one who believes in the God who works in nature this
would truly be divine healing, especially if prayer and relig
ious faith have helped the mind to become composed and have

* He did not have data for rully bearing out his statement of the propor
tion. He referred to the cases of ordinary ailment where no physician
is called and where care and some nursing bring about recovery.

DIVINE HEALING OF ZION 131

removed anxiety. And who is to say that this is not the tru
est reaction upon the situation ? It will be persons of naive
and primitive type of mind however, who posit a direct and
miraculous interposition of God as the cause of the healing.

Another word needs to be said with respect to the assist
ance towrard recovery in cases such as these, or for that mat
ter with respect to all cases influenced by the divine healer
really or seemingly. To quote Dr. Buckley, * ' The mind
can influence the body toward health or disease, and God has
constant access to every mind. Hence by increasing the in
valid's hope or diverting- him from pernicious attention to his
symptoms, and by insensibly affecting the train of ideas in
the minds of physicians and surrounding friends or foes, the
ever present God may, without contravening any visible ordi
nary method of cause and effect, promote recovery. Nor can
any prove that God never does interfere directly, tho beyond
human ken, between natural cause and effect."

If we accept, howrever, w^hat seems to be the most reasona
ble hypothesis, the view that all recoveries are natural recov
eries, we still have to account for the assistance the divine-
healer renders in the cases where we grant that he has per
formed a certain function. In a word, for it is reduced to
this, what is the real explanation of divine healings of the
kind Mr. Dowie and Zion have accomplished ? Or to be true
to their own notion of it, how has he mediated the power
leading to recovery ?

Allowing for all absolute failures which have falsely been
regarded as cures for one reason or another; allowing for
lapses after temporary cures (and the temporary cure would
require explanation) have been wrought, allowing for the
cases where only tendency toward a better state of health has
been achieved rather than actual results of healing ; there yet
remain many cases which have been actually healed of more
or less violent disease by Mr. Dowie, or in coincidence with
his prayer and efforts for their recovery. The same may also

* Dowie Analvzed and Classified, Pamphlet.

132 % JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

be said for many of the officers and teachers of the C. C. A.
C. in Zion.

We are compelled to proceed without regard to the relig
ious notions involved, * because of the similarity in general
between all anti-medicine cures both as to the character of
the cases and the limitations surrounding the differing theo
ries. Innumerable cases of purely natural mental cures can
be cited by reference to the works Dr. Tuke, Dr. Carpenter,
Dr. A. T. Schofield, or in fact the diary of almost any reputa
ble physician. These cases are not always of people supersti
tious and ignorant, nor are the diseases imaginary as some
erroneously suppose, t In all such cases "the cure or relief
was the natural result of mental states. As long ago as the
time of John Hunter, it was established by a variety of ex
periments and by his own experience that the concentration
of attention upon any part of the human system affects first
the sensations, next produces a change in the circulation, then
a modification of the nutrition, and finally an alteration in
structure." |

Hypnotism popularly misunderstood and considered the
possession of a few who can by its power do anything they

*The character of Mr. Dowie is now generally believed to have been
shaded by duplicity and wilful dishonesty, if not immorality, and yet
many of his healings which must be allowed if any are, took place after
such was the case with him, it he were ever thoroughly trustworthy. The
belief that objective power of a spiritual nature was exerted by him in
these healings has to be abandoned even by those who fully believe in
divine healing. His followers say that he was a man of God, a mighty
power for God, etc., but with their denial now that he is a godly man,
and their praying that he may be brought to repentance, they invalidate
their own theory of the ministry of healing, and must explain these heal
ings that took place after he became dishonest, in some other way. The
psychologist knows that it doesn't make any difference about the opera
tor or healer, if the people are for the time convinced of his uprightness.
The channel of blessing is not the character of the healer, but the mind
of the patient.

|Cf. Goddard, op. cit., 27.

J Dr. Buckley, Faith Healing, p. 25.

DIVINE HEALING OF ZION 133

like with the persons who fall under their influence, is a means
by which numerous cures have been wrought in certain classes
of cases. * Suggestion is a term in better repute, but it is
simply hypnotism, with the exception that the patient does
not sleep. Both depend upon the influence of the mind over
the body for any tangible results. The suggestion in either
case is only realized where the inhibiting influences in the
mind of the patient are fully overcome and the idea of the
operator acquiesced in, and then only in such measure as
the nature of the case, or the individual under treatment will
allow. Not all are equally suggestible or capable of being
influenced very much in this way. Nearly everyone is more
or less, for the tendency is for every accepted idea to gene
rate its actualitv.

Dr. Goddard states the law in regard to the cure of disease
by suggestion as follows : t "The idea of health tends to pro
duce health in proportion to the strength of the idea, or in
versely as the opposition to be met. This opposition to the
acceptance of the idea of health comes from the presence of
other ideas or beliefs and also from physical conditions which
require, often, long time for their complete correction. The
time required weakens the strength of the fixed idea."

Fixity of attention, submission or faith on the part of the
patient and acceptable suggestion with no organic hindering
causes, would be ideal conditions for a cure.

Now remembering that in Mr. Dowie's theory of healing
fixity of attention and submission are taught and enjoined,
and that the practice almost uniformly corresponds to the in
tellectual presuppositions of the patient, the best sort of
conditions for mental healing are present. The suggestion
or idea of health or recovery in the form of a command to
walk and the like, comes at an opportune time in such cases
and with conditions all favorable for its realization. The

*See discussion of this in Goddard, op. cit., also Prof. James' Psy
chology.

t Op. cit., p. 55.

134 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

testimonies which came to me in letters, presented in chap
ters on ''Point of Contact and People of Zion," show the
writers to have been in this attitude at l,east in some of the
cases. But let us look at a few testimonies from the more
intelligent believers in divine healing, who are perhaps more
capable of analyzing their experiences.

"I simply gave up the use of doctors and all remedies, so
called, in the medical realm and obeyed Rom. 12:1, 'present
your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God.' '
Result : ' Total deliverance from pain and perfect ability to
use my paralyzed arm. I united with the C. C. A. C. in
Zion because it measures up with the Bible teachings as is
found in none of the denominations."

" I have been healed in answer to prayer many times in the
past nine years. I was healed in Oakland, Cal., before I had
ever heard of Dr. Dowie or his work. The two most striking
experiences along this line were in connection with healing
received for my eyes and appendicitis. ... In December,
1899, I was stricken very suddenly with a very severe attack
of appendicitis, from which I had suffered more or less in pe
riods of from three to six months for three years. ... In
answer to prayer which was specially made in my behalf by
Overseer Mason . . . deliverance came and since that time
I have never had a return of the trouble. ... As far as the
appendicitis is concerned there were the usual severe pains
in the bowels, inflammation and high fever, accompanied with
intense pains extending into the groin and into the muscles of
the legs. ... In August of 1899, having read one copy of
Leaves of Healing, and having examined very closely the
scriptural passages cited in the little tract entitled 'God's
Way of Healing,' a copy of which I inclose, I became fully
convinced that Divine Healing was just as real as Divine
Salvation in Jesus the Christ through the Holy Spirit. . . My
healings were both instantaneous. ... In the case of the
attacks of appendicitis the pain left the abdomen at once and
tho weak from the four days of heavy fever and intense suffer-

DIVINE HEALING OF ZION 135

ing, I immediately was able to eat everything. In this attack
of December, 1899, 1 returned to school with the opening of
the new term of January 22nd. I had formulated no plan
with reference to my healing. The conditions which I be
lieve the Word of God teaches must be fulfilled, were those
of true repentance, faith in Jesus the Christ as the Healer as
well as the Saviour, and the determination to be wholly obedi
ent to the Holy Spirit wherever he might lead me. . . . My
mental state and religious state at the time of cure was that
of a confident, hopeful, loving disciple of the Lord Jesus the
Christ."

'* I have often been healed in answer to prayer, both before
coming into Zion and since. . . . Healing has sometimes
come instantaneously. ... I understand the general condi
tions to be repentance and restoration as far as possible
where wrongs have been committed against others, then to
trust God for healing, \vhich comes in answer to one's own
prayers or in answer to the prayers of those who have the gift
specified in Corinthians."

" Replying to your first question, will say that before know
ing anything about the work or teachings of Zion, after hav
ing given fifteen years of Christian work and to the preaching
of the Word of God, I overworked and was for four years
under physicians' care and nothing the better, only growing
worse, with hope almost despairing and in supplication to
God the Scripture came : ' If you will ask anything in my
name I will do it.' I then and there said, 'First, I do not
know how to pray in his name as I should. Secondly, When
I learn how to thus pray I shall be healed.' The nature of
my malady consisted of indigestion, dyspepsia, constipation,
rheumatism, and nervous prostration in the shape of brain
fag, which had been coming on me for four years or more. * . .
Perhaps it will suffice that after being carefully examined by
a physician who could discover nothing organically the matter

* His whole trouble was probably constipation, which is more or less
a matter of mental control.

i36 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

with me, he was surprised in taking my temperature to find
that I had a sub-normal temperature ranging from a degree to
a degree and a half, which is a more precarious state than a
temperature of 103 or 104. . . . No person suggested it to
me, no reading brought it to me, but the Spirit of God brought
this scripture which seemed to be a beacon light to me :
' Cast not away therefore your confidence which has a great
recompense of reward.' . . . That October morning at ten
o'clock the divine power of God, which quickened my spirit
at the age of thirteen into a newness of life, which gave me
fellowship with God, that same divine touch quickened my
body that morning and the disability and the complication

which had been upon me for years . . . passed away

As to answer eight, concering plans formulated or conditions
stipulated which have been fulfilled, will say that I gave my
self up to a season of heart-searching and agonizing crying to
God covering a period of some days, in which I ransacked my
own life, praying God to discover unto me the exceeding sin-
fulness of sin. . . . You ask of my mental and religious state
at the time of the cure. Will say that I was calm in mind, . . .
and believe that through the exercise of the period of waiting
upon God which I went through -I drew nearer to Him than ever
before, and believe that He was nearer to me, so that altho
years of Christian life preceded this the knowledge of God
gained in this brief time seemed proportionately greater than
anything that I had before known. . . . The healing came
first to my spirit. The energizing power of God in the Spirit,
like an electric flash permeated my whole being, so that
with a heart abounding with gratitude to God, ... I was
healed. Before this, however, the medicine that I was taking
was abandoned ... as tho God himself had spoken to my
spirit to the effect that the stuff that I was taking was poi
son. ... I have found in God, I believe, the fountain of
living waters."

These were all healed by the prater of faith made personally,
but there is the same fixity of attention evidenced in the giv-

DIVINE HEALING OF ZION 137

ing up of medicine and looking only to God, the same sub
mission and suggestibility. The suggestion is the same, only
it is in a sense auto-suggestion, based upon the conviction that
God heals directly by his touch.

We are prepared to say since the evidence is in accord with
it, and there is no other theory that could be more strongly
supported, that the healings of Mr. Dowie and Zion fit into
the theor}7 of healing by suggestion, or waking hypnotism,
and are therefore mental healings. In so far as they are not
spontaneous or natural mental healings there has been a cer
tain amount of assistance given by the teachings of Mr. Dowie
or by his personal presence and efforts.

With this agree the conclusions of the study of mental and
divine healings made by Dr. Goddard. "Suggestion is the
bond of union between all the different methods, divine heal
ing, Christian Science, Mental Science, etc. And the law of
suggestion is the fundamental truth underlying all of them,
and that upon which each has built its superstructure of igno
rance, superstition, or fanaticism."' In divine healing, Chris
tian Science and other forms of mental healing, the reasoning
which would oppose the suggestion is silenced, not by sleep,
but by some powerful argument, dogma or assertion of the
healer. If the patient accepts the teaching of the healer,
without question, then the ideas which the healer suggests
tend to work themselves out. And, so far as the healer is
concerned, the patient is in a state analogous to that of the
hypnotic subject, tho in all other respects he may be wide
awake.

" In both hypnotism and Christian Science it is the fixed
idea in the mind of the patient — placed there by the healer or
operator or suggested by a book or elaborated by the patient's
own reasoning that accomplishes the result through its ten
dency to generate its actuality."

And what of all this ? Is divine healing wrong per se ?
The narrowness and dogmatism of which it is the outcome

*Op. cit., pp. 51, 69.

138 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

and which it in turn engenders, as witnessed in Zion, is to
be deplored most certainly. That it can never in the nature
of the case take the place of common sense, and scientific
study of disease and remedy, we feel assured. Nor are we
forced to the conclusion either that there is not a legitimate
place for prayer and religious meditation and reflection in
any complete system of therapeutics.

How shall the Christian Church react toward the Mind-
cure Movement ? This lies outside the scope of our study,
but it is one of the questions raised that needs solution in
order to make the recurrence of religio-therapeutical cults
impossible, because unnecessary. Their limitations will come
to be fully recognized in time by their adherents, but there
are some things the church may learn from them that are
valuable.

The influence of Mr. Dowie's teaching has been in the main
salutary, altho his own life, if consistent with his theories,
would doubtless have made it more so. Moral reformation
has resulted in a large number of instances, and the clean
living required in order to secure the blessings of divine heal
ing as Zion has taught, has been a great benefit to many. It
is to be deplored that perfect candor and honesty have not
been the uniform atmosphere in which people thus reclaimed
to a holier life might live and work, in newness of spirit and
soundness of body.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE THEOLOGY OF ZION AND ITS PHILOSOPHICAL AND PSYCHO
LOGICAL BASIS.

There is really no official Theology in the Zion movement
of Mr. Dowie, altho there is a more or less definite body of
teaching resting upon certain conceptions of philosophy and
psychology. "The basis of his Theology is practically the or-
dinan7 doctrines of Scotch Christianity as taught by Scotch
Presbyterians, with less emphasis upon high Calvinism and
more upon a personal Deity and personal Devil in mundane
affairs, including human beings, than in this age is commonly
heard in Christian pulpits."

In founding the church Mr. Dowie required (i) That all
members recognize the infallible inspiration and sufficiency
of the Holy Scriptures as the rule of faith and practice.
(2) That they recognize that no person can be members of the
church who have not repented of their sins and have not
trusted Christ for salvation. (3) That such persons must
also be able to make good profession and declare that they do
know in their own hearts that they have truly repented, and
are truly trusting Christ and have the witness in a measure,
of the Holy Spirit. (4) That all other matters are matters of
opinion.

This was the first platform upon which his followers were
to unite and is printed upon every application for member
ship to be subscribed to by new members. There are few
Evangelical churches but what could acquiesce in its state
ments, as they are so very general, but Mr. Dowie in a later
deliverance, says jn speaking of the question of inspiration :
" In regard to this, I say, that if I am God's minister in this

* J. M. Buckley, Dowie Analyzed and Classified.

i4o JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

matter, and I write to you something that is in accord with
Scripture, then you are bound to receive that just as much as
if the Apostle Paul wrote it. You will please to observe my
qualifications. If I write to you something that is in perfect
accord with the word of God, I have just as much right to
write that as the Apostle Paul had to write. Not to add to
the word of God, but to explain and apply it." This seems
definite enough to indicate (a) that Mr. Dowie regarded him
self as God's special minister, (b) that he regarded himself
as thoroughly competent to explain and apply the Word of
God, or to thus practically add to it whatever was needed for
the carrying to completion and for the administering of his
organization. Subsequent events have shown that he has

*Mr. Dowie claims that his paper, Leaves of Healing, is the Word of
God. In Leaves of Healing, October 23, 1897, pages 830 and 831, he
says the following things regarding the paper:

(1) "We have never written a line without the sweet consciousness of
the overshadowing of the Power of the Highest." "And that power also
entered into us." Of course this includes the falsehoods and slander of
which he has been guilty.

(2) He says, " Leaves of Healing are inspired by*God."

(3) " Leaves of Healing are again being written by God."

(4) He says, "Therefore, these Leaves of Healing are God's own work,
as much as any of the six Gospels preceding." ( By the six Gospels pre
ceding, as we see by the context, he refers to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John,
Acts and the Revelation.)

(5) He says, "He (God) is writing every hour and every day and every
week and every year, another Gospel, and every way like unto all the
Gospels that have preceded, which were written by Matthew, and Mark,
and Luke and John, the two latter of whom wrote the Acts of the Apos
tles and the Revelation respectively. The Seventh Gospel (Leaves of
Healing) is in every respect a continuance of the things 'that Jesus be
gan both to do and to teach,' as Luke puts it in the Acts of the Apos
tles."

(6) "And so we close the Volume of the Book which God has caused
us to write in His Name, and we do so in the words which John in Pat-
mos used in opening his writing :

"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this
prophecy and keep those things that are written therein : for the time is
at hand."— The Ram's Horn, Chicago, 111., March 3, 1900.

THEOLOGY OF ZION 141

been absolutely intolerant of any but his own ideas and inter
pretations, and has made many of his notions practical tests
of continuance of membership in the church, (c) Anyone
who came into the movement he was then organizing would
thus practically admit his being inspired, or at least so capa
ble of interpreting the Word of God as to amount to the same
thing. *

During the February 5, 1896 conference (L. of H., Septem
ber 10, 1904, p. 178), a Mr. Calverly made an address in
which he said, "Now in regard to that inspiration idea, I am
particularly interested in that. I do not know what your im
pression has been when you have been listening to the doc
tor, but my impression has frequently been that he has been
in close touch with that same power of the Holy Ghost which
fell upon Peter on the da}7 of Pentecost, and that same Power
is what I understand in regard to the inspiration, as ever
present in the church." That Mr. Dowie intended to be and
has been ultimate authority for his people there can be no
question. He edited these reports of the conferences of the
organization and this speech of Mr. Calverly's was just the
kind to put him in the place of inspiration for the church. A
former member said to me in an interview: "Mr. Dowie
would often say in public address, ' It doesn't matter what
you say or think, it doesn't matter what I say or think ; it is
what God says.' He would then proceed to demand of us
that we do thus and so. Why every one did not sense the
fact that his arbitrary will was what he wanted, altho giving
a semblance of divine authority, I can not understand. We
were read out of the church for insubordination when we were
within the strict letter of the agreement and confession we
signed when entering, "t I have seen and heard practically

* Zion people's reverence for the L. of H. as I have talked with them
has been in many cases scarcely less than that for the Bible.

t His formula has been, "You say you believe I am the Messenger of the
Covenant?" or later, "You say 1 am the Prophet Elijah?" "Yes sir." Then
do what I sav«

i42 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

the same thing when visiting his services at Zion City and
wondered that the people didn't protest that they had not
subscribed to any such requirements as he was making.

It is clear that Mr. Dowie aims to start with the Bible as a
code of authority, eschewing in his interpretations any reference
to the ordinary canons of historical criticism. Any statement
the Bible makes is regarded as the infallible Word of God
and the ultimate explanation of any matter, whether scientific,
ethical or religious. This is the view-point held and to which
appeal is made in case of controversy, although considerable
personal liberty is taken with individual texts to make them
yield the desired teaching.

There is a strange inconsistency about literalists in Scrip
ture interpretation. Most of them utterly ignore those por
tions unsuited to whatever system they may be advocating.
Mr. Dowie in L. of H., Vol. 3 "No. 27, says : " Sometimes I
think we have too much written. I almost wish sometimes
that Paul's Epistles were lost. I am sometimes tempted to
wish that I had more Gospel and less epistle." This outdoes
the most radical critics, who only ask to let go what is not
historically authentic, if any be such. Mr. Dowie has laid
himself open to heresy trial upon the accepted standards of
his Zion movement.

One of the Zion officers gave me twelve reasons why he
left the Baptists and why he believes the C. C. A. C. in Zion
is the true church. Among them are these: "Faith once
for all delivered wasn't the Bible nor a system of doctrines,
but an active living principle which moved early Cristians to

At other times after he had instructed his people to follow him only so
far as he followed Christ, he would say, "You promise to follow me as I
follow Christ?" In unison they would reply, "Yes " "Well, if a doubt
should arise who would be most likely to know whether I am follow
ing Christ? " "You would." "Then do what I say."

Papal infallibility is not to be mentioned in comparison with this, and
it was not only the theory, but the practice of Zion before Mr. Dowie's
overthrow.

THEOLOGY OF ZION 143

witness martyrdom and to perform miracles." "The denomi
nations say the Bible and Bible alone is our religion. We
say that the church is built on present revelation and Word
of God, spoken by real Apostles who have the signs of an
Apostle and the authority of an Apostle, speaking in accord
with the Word of God in other ages." This vitiates the first
article of the Zion agreement on doctrine as to the infallible
and sufficient Holy Scriptures, but was said in the interests
of a specific Zion apology for the supremacy of Mr. Dowie, as
it was upon that point I was crowding him. * These were
statements which he had written down, however, as he had
evidently apprehended the true significance of Mr. Dowie's
assumption of the Apostolate. The rank and file would not
agree in theory with him, altho during the history of the
church they have done so practically.

It is not deemed a matter of enough importance to discuss
at any great length the method of the Bible interpretation
employed in Zion. An Elder told me that the idea of prophecy
Zion held is one which "writes history before it comes to
pass." This was said apropos of a conversation in which
the prophesies which they refer to Mr. Dowie as "Messenger
of the Covenant," "Elijah the Restorer," etc., were being
discussed. Should you present them the view that the proph
ets were preachers of righteousness with a message to their
contemporaries and that they did not have a vision of all com
ing events the}7 would regard you as an atheist or infidel.

Their theory of inspiration would come under the designa
tion mechanical, and their method of interpretation literal and
dogmatic. When a member of Zion says " it is so, because
God says it is so," he means that the words of the Bible, un-
criticised, but colored by the concepts current in Zion, origina
ting from Mr. Dowie, say it is so.

Mr. Dowie, claiming to get his conception from the Bible,

* The tendency in Zion at present is to lop off all Mr. Dowie's whim
sies as they would be called and get back to the Word of God. This was
the drift of a short address by Mr. Voliva, April 24, 1906, which 1 heard.

144 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

speaks of Satan as the Denier and Jesus as the Healer. He
would hold that a God of love who made the world with all its
beauty and brightness does not make wretched, foul, destroy
ing, disease. That is the work of the Devil.

Here is a dualism in thought as well as in practical attitude.
Practically all people feel a distinction between good and evil
and have a system of values ; things pronounced good they
strive to attain, and their opposites they seek to shun. But
Mr. Dowie conceives of origins thus — holiness, salvation,
health, the good, come from God; while evil, destruction,
disease, sin, are the work of the Devil. An array of scrip
ture texts are brought forward to establish this. " He that
doeth sin is of the Devil, for the Devil sinneth from the be
ginning ;" ''For this end was the son of God manifested,
that he might destroy the works of the Devil;" i John 38 ;
" How that God anointed him with the Holy Ghost and with
power : who went about doing good, and healing all who were
oppressed of the Devil, for God was with him." Acts 10:38.

Altho the Devil is the author of sin and sickness in Mr.
Dowie's thinking, he finds no inconsistency in saying, "God
over-rules all things and will ultimately triumph ;" The con
test he sets forth as follows : "Satan had a pre-existence
before man was created. Satan, perhaps, with his host, once
dwelt upon this earth, because I have never believed since
examining the subject, and the Scriptures do not teach, that
man was the first inhabitant of this earth. . . . When God
created Adam and in due time Eve, and put them in the gar
den of Eden, what was his first command ? ' Be fruitful and
multiply and replenish the earth.' The inference is clear.
The earth had once been full of inhabitants ; otherwise it
would have been absurd to use the word 'replenish.' My
own contention is that, in all probability, Satan had at one
time with his host, inhabited the earth, had been ejected from
it, and he, with a host of disembodied spirits, came up again
from the depths of hell into which they had been cast, * de-

* One notices the ancient abandoned cosmology, of Dante, for example.

THEOLOGY OF ZION 145

termined to repossess themselves of this earth, and they have
been at it for six thousand years and have very largely suc
ceeded in dominating; the earth and deceiving" man first of all.
In what way ? By means of Satan himself. The first woman
was deceived by means of Satan, who broke through the
heavenly watch. . . . Since that time Satan is called in
Scripture ' The Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience.' Our warfare
is therefore as Paul the Apostle wrote 'not against flesh and
blood, but against the principalities, against the powers,
against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual
hosts of wickedness in heavenly places,' or as it might be
read, ' against the hosts of evil spirits in the upper air.' . . .
Satan seeking earthly embodiment became embodied in the
beast (serpent), and became the chief tempter and seducer
of mankind. . . . He was nearly ejected from the earth at
the time of the flood, but he deceived Noah, and when Noah
had been taught to plant the vine, Satan also entered into the
planning, and turned the sweet and innocent juice of the grape
into a hellish poison by showing men how to arrest the grape
in its process of decay. . . . Satan devised this sweet rotten
ness and so transformed the fruit of the vine as to make it the
means of the damnation of millions. Satan has been seeking
to possess man, body, soul and spirit, through all the ages,
and has succeeded is possessing himself, first of the spirit,
then of the soul, then of the body. . . . The struggle between
Satan and God is first of all, for the possession of the spirit
of man. There are three parts in man, not two. Man is com
posed of spirit, soul and body. The spirit alone is immortal,
not the soul. The soul dies. Christ himself said 'My soul
is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.' The soul of the
man and the soul of the beast are alike. But the distinguishing
thing in man is the spirit. God is the father of our spirits and
our spirit is immortal because it owes its origin to God. . . .
The Son of God was manifest that he might destroy the
works of the Devil. What works did he destroy ? ' God

146 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

anointed him with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went
about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of
God?' Answer, 'No.' 'Of the Devil?' Answer, 'Yes.'
Why? 'For God was with him.' In Matthew 4:23 it is
written 'And Jesus went about in all Gallilee . . . healing
all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the
people.' Nineteen centuries ago every kind of sickness and
every kind of disease was healed by Jesus. Peter declares
that all whom he healed were oppressed of the Devil ; if that
is true, then nineteen centuries ago every kind of disease and
sickness was the work of the Devil. Can it be God's work
to-day? Answer, 'No.' Whose? Answer, 'The Devil's.'
' It must be so unless you are going to prove that God is
doing the work to-day which the Devil used to do nineteen
centuries ago. Now the lie that God wills diseases has crept
into the churches, is embalmed in their songs, and taught
from their pulpits, that God blesses humanity by laying his
hand, full of corruption upon it and making the people sick.
I tell you this as God's minister to-day, there are things that
God can not do. ... It is impossible for God's hand to
communicate disease. ... It is impossible for a being who
is without disease to communicate disease. It is impossible
for God to make people sinful or sick or unclean or misera
ble, for if he did he would then be a fountain of sin and dis
ease. It is impossible for any disease to come from heaven,
for in heaven there is no sin, no disease, no death, and there
fore it is impossible for any of these things to come from
there. No possibility exists that God can be the author of
disease. . . . Disease is the result of sin, and would not have
been in the world but for sin. To make disease a part of the
plan or purpose of God is to make God the father of sin and
that would be to transform God into the Devil."

The foregoing has been presented thus at length to indicate
the method of accounting for sickness which Mr. Dowie has
thorough!}- drilled into his people, and also to show his gene
ral style of argumentation. Without endeavoring to refute

THEOLOGY OF ZION 147

his logic it might be well simply to notice that the entire argu
ment goes upon the presupposition that the thought-forms
used by the Bible writers of Old and New Testaments are in
themselves truths of revelation, that all their terminology,
irrespective of historical or literary relationship, corresponds
to reality. It indicates absolute innocence of any knowledge
of modern cosmography or cosmology. It would hardly sug
gest the knowledge of the theory of Copernicus and is as
naive as it is presumptuous, for to the statements of Scripture,
the results of an uncontrolled imagination are added and
made synonymous with truth. There is no answer to such
an argument starting with the presuppositions which Mr.
Dowie and his people all accept uncritically, unless we can
find an array of contrary texts, or texts which lend themselves
as proof of contrary propositions when reinforced by a little
personal imagination or fancy of our own.

This position with regard to disease is not new, or is it
held to-da}- by Mr. Dowie alone. In the tracts of Evangelist
J. J. Scruby, of Dayton, Ohio,* who carries on quite an
active propaganda we find the same literalism, the same tri-
chotomous psychology, the same dualism in philosophy. In
one of these tracts the statement is made ' as we read the
story of creation we would be impressed with the fact that
God did not make sickness, on the contrary all was very good.
There was a condition of soundness and health and freedom
from mortality and pain, so that God looking upon it could
say it was ' very good.' We would come to look upon that as
the ideal condition of life, and as we followed it on we would
find it was going back to that at last; that the goal and hope
and prophecy is a world where there will be no disease. Our
natural conclusion, therefore, is that disease was abnormal
and unnatural, that it was something that must have sprung

*In these tracts various persons, ministers and laymen, express their
views, finding a sort of clearing house in this way tor their kindred ideas,
so that they represent the thought of quite a large group of persons.

i48 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

from a more deep, malign evil not in the constitution of na
ture. ... It came through the fall of Adam."

Again in discussing the " Manner of the acceptance of the
doctrine of Divine Healing," we find the statement from Mr.
Scruby that "the personality of the Devil must be recognized.
This is a most important requirement. Freedom implies the
existence of bondage, victory the existence of an enemy. The
Devil is a person. He is powerful. He is the author of
physical suffering, as we see in the case of Job, Job 2:7; of
those who were the recipients of Christ's healing power,
Acts, 10:38, and the mention of the woman healed in Luke
13:11-16."

Both Mr. Dowie and Mr. Scruby hold that sin and sickness
are realities and the vast majority of us hold with them in
this as against Christian Science. Yet neither would hardly
be conscious that he has a philosophy of suffering.

Somewhat different is the explanation given by the teacher
of theology in Zion, although he aims to follow Mr. Dowie
all too slavishly. He says, "There is scarcely developed
yet a scientific body of doctrine in Zion. We are 'restoring'
old scriptural doctrines where they have been lost sight of in
the church. But we hardly think of psychology or theology
or trichotomy. In a certain sense we are presenting a sort of
dualism, and yet not so, for God is preached as the superior
of Jesus. Satan is put as the opponent of Jesus and to be
overcome by Jesus so that the one GOOD power is transcend
ent and sovereign and the Devil is to be out of the ring soon,
and some day Jesus is to hand back the kingdom to God.
( i Cor. 15:28). Dualism contends for two powers and both
equal. Persian Dualism says the conflict is unending, but
ours is a more transient conflict between good and evil, with
the certainty of a comparatively speedy victory for right and
truth. We start with God. Satan is a created angel who
fell into rebellion and inveigled the human race into that re
bellion. Jesus, who himself contends that " my Father is
greater than I," is superior to the Devil, therefore I could

THEOLOGY OF ZION 149

hardly call our philosophy a dualism. We do believe that
man's will is free and that God has permitted man's will to
accept the evil and we \a.y at the door of evil powers the evil
in the world, but it has been permitted by God and is over
ruled by Him in His infinite sovereignly for the good of man,
but we insist on the distinction between permission and com
mission. If God permits man's will to act freely you could
hardly put man therefore on an equality with God in a dual-
istic conception, nor can we do so with the Devil. He is
permitted to act freely in temptation and man is allowed to
act freely in accepting the offers of evil or rejecting them,
but God is Sovereign. We see evil as a practical reality
and can't get back of it, so it is practical^ infinite, or to
state it in another wa>^, what we can see and can't see over is
as good as the infinite.

" I think you get your conception of Dualism from the fact
that we insist on laying disease and disaster to the Devil.
God is a God of law. He keeps those laws in operation for
the good of man. But if man goes across the law, God does
not change the law. Man must surfer and man must repent
and come into harmony with the law or continue to suffer.
The Devil's business seems to be to tempt man to disobey and
as in the case of a burned hand the consequences of perverted
relation to specific law are felt. Man's problem is to learn
God's laws and willingly obey them. God is working out
this problem and when he gets it finished God will be all in
all and man's freedom will be unimpaired. But we say God
did not burn the hand, altho it Was His power operating in the
law. God is legally but not morally responsible, or, as Dr.
Dowie puts it, He permits but does not commit these destruc
tive acts, the>r are morally the Devil's. We do believe in the
fall of Adam, altho Dr. Dowie has not strongly expressed
himself on that question. . . . He has expressed his belief in
a pre-Adamic race of some sort on the earth and believes that
the earth was 'replenished.' . . . I hold to the essential truth
of the Adam storv of the fall. All that I know about the Bible

150

JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

and about salvation fits with perfect consistency into that
view. There is nothing in print that I think of at present about
the Adam question."

Mr. Dowie's psychology or three-fold division of man is
not an entirely new theory. He sets it forth for practical
purposes in his preaching in a pamphlet " Sanctification of

Spirit Soul and Body."
icallv thus :

Theoretically it is represented graph-

This he says shows the tripartate nature of man and the in
dwelling nature of God. The Holy Spirit is represented as
the center of all. The three wrords in speaking of man's being
are pneuma (spirit) psyche (soul) and soma (body). The
line connecting the circles is used to illustrate the flowing
of the Holy Spirit through the entire three-fold nature of
man thus sanctifying him wholly and preserving him without
blame.

THEOLOGY OF ZION 151

"We are not a duality composed of soul and body, but we
are a trinity composed of spirit, soul and body. This is a
divinely revealed construction of man. Human philosophy
and ordinary Christian pulpit teaching have made man to have

only two parts — soul and bod\ and confounded soul and

spirit. Now what is the difference between the soul and spirit?

I must, at the risk of being charged with being technical
make plain to you some very neglected teaching in this mat
ter — teaching which the church of God almost wholly misses.

In doing this we have to show, first of all, how God made
the lower creation and then how God made man. If we stud}^
by the light of Holy Scripture, we shall see the difference be
tween the lower creation and man, and thereby make clear the
tripartate nature of man. Take your Bibles and read the
twentieth verse of the first chapter of Genesis. 'And God
said let the wraters bring forth abundantly the moving crea
ture that hath life.' The margin says that word 'life' is
'living soul' in the original tongue. Then you see that this
passage teaches that the fish of the sea all have souls. It
does not say that they have a spirit, but they all have souls.

Let us go to the thirtieth verse : ' And to every beast of
the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that
creepeth upon the earth wherein there is life.' Margin again
says the Hebrew is 'a living soul.' This passage teaches
distinctly that every beast of the earth and every fowl of the air
has a living soul. You are sometimes asked, what is the soul ?
These passages supply the answer. The soul is the animal
life. The soul is not spiritual at all. One of the most stupid
things the Christian can do is to argue for the ' immortality
of the soul.'

I shall presently show you how right it is to argue for the
immortality of the spirit, but, let me warn you, never argue
for the immortality of the soul. You will plunge yourself into
a sea of confusion if you do and give your adversaries an
essential advantage which will put you to shame. Christians
make a tremendous blunder by confounding soul and spirit.

i52 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

If you refer to the Epistle to the Hebrews you will see that it
is the Word of God which makes this distinction, a distinction
unknown for the most part, to Christian theologians who are
very largely teachers of false theology. They are as blind as
bats to the essential difference between spirit and soul and
talk about the salvation of the soul when they mean the Spirit.
What does it say here? 'The Word of God is living, and ac
tive, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even
to the dividing of the soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,
and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.'

It is the Word of God then that shows the division be
tween soul and spirit. . . . Look at the second chapter of
Genesis, seventh verse: 'And the Lord God formed man
of the dust of the ground.' That is the body. Do not make
any mistake about it. Our bodies are dust, and the vainest
woman who carries a millinery shop on the top of her head,
and the most foolish woman who purchases her complexion in
a paint shop, or the silliest dude, is only a bag of dust. Let
us consider the other two parts. 'And God breathed into
man's nostrils the breath of life and man became a living
soul.' The ' breath of life ' which God 'breathed' into man
is the spirit ; and the ' living soul' which man became is the
soul or animal life, distinct and separate in all respects from
the spirit. God imparted to man His own spirit and nature.
God is the 'Father' of man's spirit. He is the Father of the
spirit, but not of the soul. He is the maker of the soul and
body, but not the Father of it. ... In Christ the perfect
man we see a perfectly pure spirit : as scriptures say ' a life-
giving spirit.' ... In Christ you see the perfection of this
three-fold nature. . . . First, the body of Christ was like our
bodies, a human body. It was pure and sinless because of
God's origination. Second, His soul was a merely human
soul, but His spirit was divine." *

* As has been indicated, all these views are the result of wrong views
and use of Scripture. For corrective principle, see W. N. Clarke, "The
Use of the Scriptures in Theology."

THEOLOGY OF ZION 153

It is scarcely necessary to quote further to be able to see
the process of argumentation by which the belief of Mr. Dowie
in trichotomy is supported. So far as I know all believers in
Divine Healing are trichotomists in psvchology and have a
rather sharply denned distinction between the three parts of
man's nature. They of course hold to the literal veracity of
the Word of God which is synonymous with the letter of the
Bible.

A somewhat unusual position of Mr. Dowie is that with re
spect to the doctrine of immortality. He is a believer in the
death of the soul but of the immortality of the spirit. It
seems to come logically out of his psychology, and his ideas
with regard to the origin of man, and makes a sharp distinc
tion betweed God acting direct!}7, and through nature. The
soul is temporal and not eternal. This he supports by show
ing that the soul of Christ died. ' The prophet Isaiah said
that God would make his 'soul a sacrifice for sin,' that
He would ' pour out His soul unto death.' Christ himself
said, My soul is exceeding sorrowrful even unto death.'
Then his soul died. He said Himself ' I am the Good Shep
herd. The Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.'
The word translated 'life' there is Psyche, Soul. In the
tenth chapter of John the word 'life' should be translated
soul. ' The Good Shepherd giveth His soul for the sheep.'
There is no question about it. 'Christ poured out His soul
unto death.' . . . Some of you all your lives have been de
fending the 'immortality of the soul,' and you have been
taught to do so by your ministers, who do not like to confess
that they have been teaching error. . . . Many serious errors
have crept into theology because of this. Christians have
been arguing for the immortality of the soul, and the infidel
has been flogging you with the Bible every time. The infidel
quotes Scripture at you, and flings at your head The soul
that sinneth it shall die,' and asks, ' How can a thing be
immortal that can die ?'...! want to settle this question as
to the separation of soul and spirit: for this separation gives

154 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

answer to an error, the doctrinal error which is called * condi
tional immortality.' There is no more dangerous falsehood.
I may grieve some persons by saying it, who may be true
Christians, but there is no more dangerous falsehood than the
falsehood which teaches that man is not essentially immortal,
but that man is only conditionally immortal, and that there
fore, a man, if he is not saved, will be annihilated utterly ;
that his spiritual nature will pass away like his psychical and
physical nature, and that, unless he is a Christian he will not
live forever. I want to tell you that it is a dangerous lie for this
reason : If a man sees that he can die like an animal, he will
in thousands of cases live like an animal. When you tell a
sinful man that he is to die like a dog then he says, * I will
live like a dog.' . . . Let that man see that there is no here
after, and no penalty for sin, and he will live a life of such
abounding wickedness that only hell itself can find an equal
to it. Conscience would be almost annihilated. ... I call
attention to the fact that every one of those who were disobe
dient in the days of Noah were living in the days of Christ.
For more than three thousand years their miserable spirits
lived in the hope of Christ's redemption. And he came to
them in the fullness of time, as is shown in i Peter 3:19, 20.
He descended into Hades. He 'preached to the spirits in
prison, which aforetime were disobedient, when once the
long-suffering of God had waited in the days of Noah.' They
had been in hell for thousands of years. They were not anni
hilated even tho damned. They were living. The spirit
lives beyond the grave. The spirit of the just man is made
perfect in heaven, even as the spirit of the evil man may be
made viler in hell. . . . But I tell you this in Christ's name.
God is the Father of this spirit ; the spirit of man shares the
nature of the Father. Therefore since God is immortal so
are we ; since our Father is eternal so are we. But if on the
other hand if our spirit is not immortal, neither is God's be
cause we have his nature, 'we are his offspring,' and we share
his nature."

THEOLOGY OF ZION 155

We must remember that all this discussion is not purely
academic, altho it is in the region of dialectics. Mr. Dowie
is simply trying to enforce the idea of the sanctity of the body
as the dwelling place of the spirit of God and insists in keep
ing it clean and free from sin and vice. In order to do this
he thus at length treats of the nature of man.

Hardly more than a mention need be made of some of the
more peculiar teachings of Zion, as among a people of such
rigid literalism in Scripture interpretation almost every va
gary that unlearned exegesis has suggested finds favor with
one or more individuals as coming under the head of " all other
questions are matters of opinion." But no one has been
allowed to print a tract or treatise of any kind which could
not pass the rigid scrutiny and meet the favor of Mr. Dowie. *
The Ecclesiastical Secretary may keep Saturday as the Sab
bath, Jew fashion, and eat no meat, but he is not followed in
this by any considerable number of Zionites. Another officer
may have certain ideas of his own about a glorified body, and
soul sleeping, but all he can do is to talk it privately or in a
small group of persons of similar belief.

A peculiarity with respect to the Zion doctrine of atone
ment simply needs to be mentioned as in most respects as has
been said their teachings would be loosely classed as evan
gelical.

They hold that Divine Healing rests upon the Atonement
of Christ. That " He hath borne our griefs (sicknesses) and
carried our sorrows, . . . and with His stripes we are healed,"
which was declared to have been .fulfilled in Jesus in his min
istry of Healing (Matthew 8:17) shows, that the atonement of
Christ provides for health and healing as well as salvation.

All those in Zion so far as I know are Premillenialists, and
believe in the spectacular Second coming of Christ, but there
is no official program of the events of the future of an apoca-

* Mr. Voliva has stated that the Leaves will be open for those who
have anything worth printing. We will await with interest to see what
this will bring forth.

i56 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

lyptical nature to which all give assent. * Ail believe in the
restoration of all things, but there is hopeless confusion if you
begin questioning around among the people as to what they
mean by the expression. There is a medley of notions on
such subjects and to sift out the generally accepted is hardly
possible unless one could formulate propositions and secure a
vote, for or against.

* Mr. Dowie puts it thus in his pamphlet, "Sanctification of Triune
Man:"

Lord Jesus, Come !

The BRIDE, the Church, with longing eyes
Looks through the gloom to yon bright skies,
Where radiant shines her home above,
And thus she chants her prayer of love :
"Sweet BRIDEGROOM, come ! 'tis midnight hour,
And virgin souls await Thy power."
Lord Jesus, Come !

Lord Jesus, Come !
Thine answer sweet our spirits hear,
It soothes our grief, we cannot fear.
It came to him on Patmos Isle,
Who loved and lived on earth awhile ;
It comes to us— " I QUICKLY COME."
Yea, "Even so, Lord Jesus, Come !"

Lord Jesus, Come !

WHEN JESUS COMES THERE WILL BE AN END OF EVIL.

He will put down all rule, all authority and power, and will reign and
rule in every heart. The kingdoms of this world shall no longer be at
strite and at war, for they shall "become the Kingdom of our God, and
of His Christ."

God, hasten the time. Hasten the time when spirits redeemed, and
the souls that Thou has purified, and the bodies that Thou hast made Thy
temple shall go forth in millions to tell others that there is a God of purity
who can make the vilest sinner clean, and is willing to make you and me
pure in spirit, and in soul, and in body.

That is all my message. I have no other.

But I demand, as God's Messenger, that you shall seek Him, and Him
alone, and do what He tells you, and no other.

THEOLOGY OF Z1ON 157

The matter of demon possession deserves some attention,
as it is closely related to the question of divine healing. It,
like all other ideas, comes from a literal interpretation of
Scripture. The popular terminology is followed here by Mr.
Dowie who speaks indiscriminately of "devils" and "having a
devil." He does not stick as closely to the original of the
Greek New Testament here as in the discussion of some ques
tions. The New Testament knows of but one Devil, spoken
of as a personal being by the writers who use the masculine
article with the word diabolos, Devil. The uniform New
Testament conception is demon possession not devil posses
sion, (cf. Matthew 8:31, Mark 5:12, Luke 8:29, in R. V).

Mr. Dowie regards all the world as being under the domin
ion of the Devil, who is being disempowered by the Son of
God who began the ministry during His earthly life when
"He was manifested to destroy the works of the Devil."
This conception is usually coupled with that of the imminent
return of Christ. "All disease is the oppression of the Devil,
but there are some which are possessions by the Devil, or by
Devils," he says,* after quoting Luke 13:11, "And behold
there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen
years." "Not an infirmity you will notice, but a spirit of
infirmity.' '

After commenting upon this for a time he quotes further
the words of Jesus, Luke 13:16, "And ought not this woman,
being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo,
these eighteen years, he loosed from this bond on the Sab
bath day ?" Of course all this is so general that it is difficult
to be certain in what sense Mr. Dowie and Zion hold to de
mon possession as such, in spite of the numerous references
to devils making people sick or subjecting them to evil habits
and the like.

All this, however, is a piece with primitive conceptions
wherein all obsessions or dreams and visions were regarded

* Pamphlet, "Doctors, Drugs and Devils."

i58 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

as visitations of a spirit or the entrance of a spirit into the
person.

"Ancient psychology, survived still, according to which
manifestations of the mysterious inner life of the soul, mental
processes, were the manifestations of some external agent.
In ancient times 'it was not we ourselves, but a demon, an
angel, or a spirit that was the efficent cause; sometimes this
agent is conceived of as intimately connected with our soul,
but at others he is an entirely extraneous being. Here we
have the origin of the conception not only of demoniacal pos
session, but of that of the Holy Spirit.' (Wernle, Begin
nings of Cristianity, Vol. i, p. 6)."

There can be no doubt that Jesus spoke of demon posses
sion and held to the idea that an alien spirit could enter and
inhabit a human body. At least so his biographers represent
him in the Gospels. He healed many persons by driving out
the demons which had caused various diseases and disorders
especially of a neurotic sort, t

Whether we are to regard this as a final explanation of
disease, especially of certain kinds, is perhaps the same kind
of a question as to whether we are to think that the biblical
statements about the earth and the sun, for example, are final
in astronomy. It is a question as to whether the meaning of
the New Testament is necessarily the teaching of the New
Testament.

Mr. Dowie is within the meaning of the New Testament
when he speaks of demon possession causing disease and the
casting out of the demon, a cure. It is to be doubted if he
could show that all disease is of the devil even from the con
ceptions current in New Testament times as reflected by its
writers. That is another question, however.

J. L. Nevins, in "Demon Possession and Allied Themes,"
has shown b}^ an extensive search for examples that demon

*G. B. Foster, Finality of the Christian Religion, p. 78, Note 2, who
quotes Wernle.

I Cf. Foster, op. cit. p. 408 ff., for discussion of this subject.

THEOLOGY OF ZION i5Q

possession of the same sort as is found in the New Testa
ment is found to-day quite extensively in Shantung, China,
and in India, Japan, and even in Christian countries. He
accepts the biblical theory of accounting for such phenomena
and says.* 'The Bible recognizes not only the material
world, but a spiritual world intimately connected with it, and
spiritual beings, both good and bad, who have access to, and
influence, for good or ill, the world's inhabitants." This is
true and from Mr. Dowie's standpoint of authority he is per
fectly consistent in believing in demon possession in spite of
the fact that modern psychology explains these phenomena,
such as absession, epilepsy, or any form of "possession"
differenthr.

The polity of Zion has really been the policy of Mr. Dowie.
True he has sought a scriptural authority for most of his
ideas with regard to the church. It is now decided that the
regime under Deputy Overseer Voliva will retrench or reorgan
ize even along ecclesiastical lines and endeavor to get back to
the simplicity of the organization as it was at the beginning
in 1896. There will be no apostles, at least for the present,
and prophets are also under the ban, altho theoretically all
the gifts of i Corinthians 12:28 are to be restored to the church.
"And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, sec
ondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of
healing, helps, governments, divers kinds of tongues."

Mr. Dowie was well under way in the work of restoring the
gifts and offices to the church as the C. C. A. C. in Zion when
the revolt came. We have noticed in the Introduction, the
different officers he had already arranged for and who were
administering the ecclesiastical and commercial work of Zion.
It is not known just what form the organization will henceforth
take as circumstances will have much to do with it.

It is quite clear now, however, from the utterances of Mr.
Voliva that the Bible will be the sole court of appeal as a
standard of faith and practice and the interpretation will be

*p. 243.

160 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

based upon the same philosophical and psycological presup
positions in the main, as were held by Mr. Dowie in his earlier
ministry.

CHAPTER IX.

THE PEOPLE OF ZION.

"There is no nonsense so transparent, no crotchet so ridicu
lous, no system so unreasonable, that it can not find advocates
and disciples."

The foregoing statement is doubtless true, and we might
say, therefore, John Alexander Dowie, the Apostle of Divine
Healing, and prophet of a restoration gospel, found his fol
lowers, and made advocates for his doctrines. But it is neces
sary to ascertain just what are the characteristics which led this
peculiar people to adopt the views of this peculiar man, or
rather what are the reasons why people of these peculiar char
acteristics, if they are peculiar or unusual, were led to accept
the dictatorship of Mr. Dowie, which dictatorship he has
veiled under certain supposed scriptural offices and functions,
such as Messenger of the Covenant, Prophet, Restorer and
Apostle.

We have noticed that the ground had been prepared pre
vious to his coming, and that belief in divine healing was no
new thing under the sun. We have seen also that many of
the ideas which he advanced, had advocates, more or less
bold and aggressive, among the churches, to which Mr. Dowie
has always appealed for a hearing. We have noticed that a
large number of people, especially those holding these views,
were, or were ready to be, out of conceit with the churches.

We now examine some first-hand testimony as to just what
sort of folk these people are who have come under the pater
nal sway of Mr. Dowie, since it was he and not some other,

*E. P. Whipple, Essay, "Croakers." Vol. II, p. 86.

162 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

*t least for the time, who caught their attention and enlisted
them in his tithe-paying C. C. A. C. in Zion. *

Personal letters from members of Zion : —

" I was born and raised a Lutheran. Sunday before Christ
mas in 1896, I repented and confessed my sins and gave my
heart to God and God gave me the witness in my spirit that I
was a child of God. I began studying my Bible and looking
round for a living church to join, I went to all the denomina
tions ; I studied their doctrines beside the Bible, but none of
them came up to the standard of the Bible. First Sunday of
April, 1897, I went and heard Mr. Dowie preach. I saw and
understood he was filled with the power of the Holy Ghost.
I fell in love with him. ... I subscribed for the Leaves of
Healing and studied them beside the Bible and I was blessed
in spirit soul and body. I do believe in all Mr. Dowie claims
to be. As Messenger of the Covenant, see Mai. 3:1-6. As
Elijah the Restorer, see Matt. 17:10-13. Matt. 11:14. Mai.
4:5-6. As the Prophet foretold by Moses see Acts 3:22-25.
Will send you Leaves of Healing and various tracts. ... I
will pray for you."

"We, that is my husband and nwself were members of the
Evangelical Association when we heard of the work Dr. Dowie
was doing, and so I went first to hear him and found it was
Bible truth that he was preaching, salvation, healing and holy
living, all taught so plainly. How new it seemed that people
were being healed and still it is just what Jesus did when
here on earth. . . . We commenced to get answers to prayer

*The very fact, admitted by Mr. Dowie, and witnessed by all the Zion
people 1 have known, that the large majority of his people have come out
of the denominations, would in itself at least suggest these people to be
unstable, and accessible to any religious leader of strong enough person
ality. Many who have been in sympathy with the teachings of Zion in
general, have remained in the churches, because of other ties and the
inertia of religious life, and failure to tully sympathize with all the claims
of Mr. Dowie, or a strong revulsion against being called a fanatic or schis
matic, which attitude Mr. Dowie in person, or by his literature or his rep
resentatives could not overcome.

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 163

in our home. Christ seemed more real to us and of course-
that well of water had to flow. I could not keep it to my
self — commenced to tell it to others and so our minister
wanted me to be quiet and not talk to others about it nor read
the Leaves of Healing and not to go to Zion meetings any
more, but I was starving in the church and my husband got
interested also and loved to read the literature and hear Mr.
Dowie, so he finally left the church and joined Zion. "

"One does not have to believe in Dr. Dowie as Prophet
and Apostle before he can be healed. When the heart is
right we receive the healing through faith in Jesus, but it is
a fact that those who receive divine healing soon come into
the C. C. C., because the pastors can not teach it and re
main in the church, and the members can not testify concern
ing it.

It is very plain to me that Dr. Dowie under God has re
stored to the church this great and important part of the gos
pel. God answered his pra37ers and thousands have been
blessed and healed, because of his faithful ministry.

My brother, I will ask you to read prayerfully the Leaves
of Healing and the result will be a more abundant life in
you, a more effective ministry for the Master and greater
blessing to those who come under your ministry."

These letters certainly indicate a high degree of suggesti
bility in the writers. To be able to believe the claims of Mr.
Dowie, simply because he announces himself the fulfiller of
the prophecy contained in certain Biblical terms, when he per
sonally has not been the instrument of their healing, would
make them susceptible to like submission and faith in any
other ' healer " and audacious preacher if he had crossed the
path of their life as did the founder of Zion, and there are, or
have been, many such characters.

" My reason for uniting with the C. C. C. in Zion were
many, but principally to become identified with a church the
highest officials of which were determined to enforce rigidly
the requirements of the higher Christian life in the every day

164 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

walk of the members. I had been a Methodist minister, and
a careful student of the life and sermons of Wesley, who when
he died left a church that was wholly unlike the Methodism I
saw around me. If the Methodists of to-day had been living
the life Wesley taught them, I should never have thought of
leaving them, neither I may add would the C. C. C. have
been founded as Dr. Dowie would have been a Methodist.
But I was wholly out of harmony with the ways of life the
officiary of the M. E. church stood for, compromising, half
hearted, luke-warm, so when my wrife having been given up
to die by the doctors hearing of Dr. Dowie and sending him
for prayers, was healed, we were ready to lay down our minis
try and go to Chicago and stay twelve months to make sure
that the C. C. C. is actually Apostolic, as well as its power,
and that there was no objection to its doctrines or govern
ment. I found its doctrines to be> those I had become so
familiar with from Wesley and loved so well . . . and that
the gospel truths were wrought out into the lives of the peo
ple in a practical way, causing them to clean up their lives,
and be saved and healed."

"I was afraid some one would laugh at me should the}7
know I belonged to ' Dowie ' and as I am in earnest, I knew
it would not do to be ashamed of Christ, or Dr. Dowie rather—
so fifty pamphlets were given me to hand around our office
and tell all the other employees in a bold and fearless man
ner of my intention to live a different life. . . . But tell me
where are these things taught as they are in Zion ? . . . When
I started to drift away as a backslider, I found a good many
in the Baptist Church with me and I am glad I am in a church
where you must live a godly life or get out. ... I simply
believe that Zion preaches, teaches and lives the gospel as
God wants."

I have belonged to the close communion Baptist Church.
I left them because I did not think it right to commune the
way they did leave out Christians in other denominations.
Then I joined the Presbyterian and when I moved from the

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 165

east to the west I took a letter from that church and nevet
joined another until I joined the Christian Catholic. I was
lead to that through reading the Leaves of Healing and com
paring them with the Word of God, I saw that the full gospel
was being preached and carried out in Zion."

In these letters the idea of the spiritual character of Zion
has been the form the suggestion to join took with people who
confess their disaffection for the "churches." "We have
the primitive gospel," is a statement, an idea, that works
mightily in the people out of conceit, for one reason or an
other, with their churches. In spite of facts which a critical
examination would reveal, they are ready to break with the past
for an untried institution, taking it at its own valuation, not
once realizing what it would mean did everyone take the same
step. Apart from any question as to whether their objections
to the existing conditions in the churches are well founded,
and granting that the}7 are, the move was the result of sugges
tion furnished in every copy of the Leaves of Healing and in
well nigh every Zion meeting that here we have the real and
full gospel which the churches are failing to see.

I went to Zion to get healing for my son who is yet un-
healed ; but my husband believed it to be a clean city, free
from temptation and a good place to educate the children and
to invest money."

I was a member of the Baptist church at the time the
members of the C. C. C. had cottage meetings at my house
an a lady was there that had Ben Blind an Restored to sight
an I became very much interested in the teaching and Now
can say that god realy does heal his people. I have Ben
healed of tobacco habit an of stomach troubles . . . Now
concerning Dr. Dowie's claims, Being in the spirit and Power
of Elijah Yes I believe that it is true as that name Elijah in
its true meaning is (God the strong lord) . . . John the
Baptist also come in the spirit an power of Elijah But John
diden't know it himselft But Dr. Dowie don't heal eny one or
he don't claim to But only teaches the full gospel salvation

166 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

Wealing and clean an holy living and prays for the people . . .
You know we have trine Baptism Matt. 28:19 baptising them
in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy
ghost. Notice that word (and) as it means and injunction
and causes it all to be triune in its true meaning same as if
you had three cups of dye Black and Blue and Red and you
had a handkerchief could you dip it in all three of them cups
at one dipping (no) it would hafter be dippted three times
once in each one — yet there is but one Baptism because it is
all in the triune god all as one. ... I hope you will be able
to understand as I have done the best I could to explain and
will do enything I can to help you in this work But my Brother
you will find when you Begin to Preach the full gospel which
means salvation healy holy and clean living you will be
hated by the unrighteous men and hypocrites because of the
truth."

This last is a sample of the childlike imitativeness of many
of the people of Zion who painfully try to reproduce the
arguments they have heard or read for giving up the churches.
It is a primitive trait, putting the person at the mercy of who
ever may be his or her teachers at the time. Altho from an
unlearned man it has the spirit of absolute sincerity, and
shows the kind of stuff of which martyrs are made.

'This is one of the reasons that I joined the C. C. C. be
cause the full Gospel was preached and practiced ; of salva
tion healing and holy living the same as our Lord taught us
when on earth. Read Matthew 28:20."

" I receive great blessing at one time then not understund-
ing it as I ought to do and not wholly relying on God 1 went
back to medicines and continued sick getting worse right
along. ... In the meantime a lady told me of the work Dr.
Dowie was doing in Chicago and my already knowing God
could heal I began looking to God to lead me and give me the
faith and light I needed. I wrote Dr. Dowie — an hour was
set for prayer during which I felt the power of God like elec
tricity, and the peace of God come into my heart. ... As

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 167

to tr}dng to find out by what means Dr. Dowie accomplishes
the healing of sickness I do not see why one should be exer
cised over such a thing as that when God said through Jesus,
Mk. 16:17, 18, 'Those that believe should lay hands on the
sick and they should recover'. ... I do not feel that it is
right to be critical toward Dr. Dowie nor any one who preaches
the whole truth as he does, for we are not criticising him so
much as it is God we are criticising for God worketh in him
to will and to do of his own good pleasure. I truly believe
Dr. Dowie is doing God's work as he feels God wants him to
do and you or I or any one who yields ourselves wholly to
God to do what he wants us to do . . . being perfectly obedi
ent to the voice of the Holy Spirit and to God's revealed will
in his word can be a power for God."

One of the most intelligent of my correspondents judged
by the composition of a long letter is a man who accidentally
received a bullet in the right hand and who tells how he
prayed and the pain ceased and swelling disappeared. "The
swelling gradually went down until the third week when by
pressing with the finger and thumb the bullet could be located.
As time went on scores of friends seriously advised the services
of a surgeon warning me of the danger of gangrene and conse
quent necessity of amputation. Nothing moved me. I felt
that I could not dare insult my Father b_v having recourse to
the unsanctified methods of surgical butchery, for I had the
assurance that he who raised Jesus from the dead and rolled
the sealed stone from the tomb, could roll that bullet from
its lodgment. . . . Earl}r the next spring the bullet began to
move upwards toward the fleshy side of the hand where in a
few weeks the butt end of the bullet was pressing continually
outward until a small protuberance was observed which as
time went on grew to be much larger. On the top of the
projection was noticed a small scale which soon pared off like
paper, followed by others. In a few weeks more one of these
paper-like pieces came away leaving an opening that exposed
the bullet. This little aperture gradually distended itself

168 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

until Friday night at n*p. m., May 19, 1899, the bullet fell
from my hand to the floor, released without the loss of a drop
of blood. ... I picked it up and thanked God." This man
joined Zion in 1902 after having been a member of the Presby
terian Church twenty-six years. He says further, "I thank
God for the faithful ministry of John Alexander Dowie, which
comprises the preaching of the full gospel of ' Repentance,
Restitution, Faith in God, Obedience, Righteousness, Salva
tion for Spirit, Soul and Body — a Triune God, Triune Man,
Triune Baptism, Restitution of all Things, Ruling of God's
people for the extension of the Kingdom of God and the eleva
tion of man.' . . . There is a peace trust and joy come into mv
life as I never had while I was yet with the denominations. . . .
I firmly believe in all Dr. Dowie's claims. I believed him to
be a prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah long before he
made his declaration. I believe him to be the Messenger of
the Covenant, ' Elijah the Restorer.' . . . Before the second
coming of Christ, the 'Messenger' must first come. . . . To an
nounce that coming and to gather as an unmistakable object
lesson those who shall be 'counted worthy to escape the things
coming upon the earth,' the Lord sends one man, who in the
Spirit's power smites evil wherever he finds it, however en
trenched by long usage, whenever it may have gained an
entrance — one who makes every path ' straight ' that he finds
crooked.' Mai. 3 and 4 delineates his work. We are per
fectly willing to examine in the light of Scripture the claims
of any other 'Elijah,' and when the preponderance of evidence
is in his favor, to accept him as the genuine ' Restorer.' '

Here is a man under the obsession of the powerful fear that
he will offend and insult his Father by resorting to surgical
aid, but who nevertheless is willing to accept as the genuine
Restorer him who can furnish the strongest suggestion, (to
talk of evidence is out of the question) that he is the sup
posed and expected Restorer. This is just the sort of man,
tho of more than one talent, who could be predicted to fall
under the sway of an aggressive and positive religious charac-

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 169

ter such as Mr. Dowie, because of the state of preparedness of
his mind, the result of an unhistorical attitude toward the
Bible, and such as he furnishes material for a fairly competent
set of officers for the organization that naturally grows up
around his Restorer. *

These excerpts from letters of Zion people indicate the sin
cerity of the writers which is a characteristic of the rank and
file of Mr. Dowie's people, hardly to be questioned by any
one. Every letter I have received, and every personal con
versation with these people, leads me to feel that whatever
else may be characteristic of them they are honest in their
convictions, and for the time believe implicitly in him and in
Zion. Indeed many of them are of the stuff that martyrs
come from and have literally forsaken all and followed the
lead of Mr. Dowie into Zion. In many cases they have dis
posed of property at a sacrifice, have made splendid gifts to
various phases of the work, and willingly tithe, giving a tenth
of all their increase to the Lord, but send it to him through
Mr. Dowie.

The manager of the Lace Industry in Zion,t still (April 25,
1905, ) drawing salary on account of a contract with Mr. Dowie,
altho dismissed from his place as manager, writes me :

"About the people — the class. Mostly the common peo
ple, (he is an Englishman) not particularly bright as a rule.
Mostly very sincere and not at all grounded in Scripture.
There are exceptions of course, but few7. Most of them come
from other churches. I did, captured by the idealistic con
dition portrayed by Dowie in Leaves of Healing. . . . De
nominations all kinds, Lutheran, Catholic, Baptists, Metho
dists, and some good people too earnest, sincere and eager
to lift the world, a people who are willing to be led and who
will work. . . . His elders and assistants — one or two capa-

* A later letter from this man reiterates his absolute confidence in Mr.
Dowie as prophet and apostle even after the revolt in Zion City. He was
not living in that city and was not as near to Mr. Dowie as the revolters.

tSee Note, p. 3, Introduction.

i?o JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

bles and the rest nowhere, usually failures from other denomi
nations — one man is here . . . who was once in Methodist
Episcopal conference South, but if he is a sample I don't
wonder they were glad to get rid of him altho I am a Metho
dist. A good few are here who couldn't succeed any where
else. He has six good men — ministers. Voliva in Australia,
Mason and Piper, New England States ; Hammond and Cos-
sum, Chicago ; Braisefield and Excell . . . Bryant in Africa ;
he's a good fellow. I should say none of these men under
stand the business methods of Zion, they preach and trust
the Doctor's policy. Dowie would discharge any of them
tomorrow if he dreampt they were not loyal or didn't accept
him for Elijah, or back him up in all he did. . . . Many of
his people get disgusted and leave. Some would like to but
can't because all they have is tied up in land or home, and
they have to wait favorable opportunity. . . . The best cure
for people is to let them come here and find out for them
selves — a great many won't believe what you tell them."

Another very enlightening line of evidence is that of the
testimony of pastors who have had members leave to join
Zion, or who have come in contact with Zion people in their
church work.

"Concerning Faith Healers (Dowieites), will say that eight
years' experience in New York city with opportunity to ob
serve the work of A. B. Simpson and extreme radical literal-
ists in Scripture interpretation, also meeting here in the west
all sorts of extremists, leads me to have charity with a large
element of pity for those who are taken in their confidence
and involved toils. We can not doubt their sincerit}7, but
need not accept their mode of interpretation. Frenzied her-
meneutics would be a fair classification of their irrational ap
plication of scripture truth to human life. Good people too
only sometimes so good they have not time to be good for
anything. You will not select your most valuable Christian
workers from among them. ... I know of churches that have
passed through a long siege of revolt, discussion and dissen-

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 171

sion, . . . that can say with David, ' It is good for me that
I have been afflicted, for before I was afflicted I went astray.'
I am sure that a good Baptist church will stand until the day
of Judgment. It is the day of no judgment that I fear the
most."

The Secretary of the Ohio Baptist State Convention writes :
"We have had one minister go from us to that faith (Dowie-
ism), and he has come back again. He was not a man of
very much balance. He had a very limited education, and is
not very well grounded in any faith. It would not surprise me
to hear that he had gone to any kind of belief that happened to
come to his attention. I have never seen or known of any of
Dowie's followers who was noted for any great mental powers.
It is my opinion that they are a class of people who have let
one phase of their religious nature become abnormally devel
oped and, so to speak, diseased."

The same officer for Nebraska writes :

" We have not had very much of Dowieism among the Bap
tist churches of Nebraska. I don't believe that more than a
hundred of our people throughout the state have embraced to
any considerable extent the teachings of Mr. Dowie. There
are a few who are always gadding about for some new thing and
if the Devil himself were to come here and canvass for a fol
lowing these self-same people would be ready to listen to
him. . . . Regarding the few followers of Mr. Dowie in this
state I have met, I would say that they strike me as mentally
unsound. Most of them seem to be sincere, but they are
blinded by their own pretentions."

The testimony from other states is substantially the same,
and so far as it bears upon the class of people from which Mr.
Dowie has largely drawn, is fully corroborated by my own
experience. Literalists, craving authority such as Mr. Dowie
has provided for, to keep them from being turbulent, but
absolute^ incapable of passing judgment upon that authority,
save as it comes in conflict with their passions and selfish in
terests, when thev feel free to cast it off. This would be the

172 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

mental history in brief of a great many of the most ardent
Zionites, and they furnish good material for the making of a
religious psychological crowd, when the right man of powerful
personality draws them to himself, by preaching their crotch
ets or giving them a religious novelty of sufficient interest to
enlist them for the time.

The constant cry of these people is that we ought to believe
the simple statements of Scripture — not to reason about them
at all ; but as a matter of fact Mr. Dowie has constantly fed his
people a show of wisdom in reference to Greek and Hebrew
words, and there is not one of his followers but believes him,
in Theology and Bible knowledge, the superior of any theo
logical professor or Doctor of Divinity that you might name
to them. Then, too, they like to tell you of the number of
college graduates and the like among their officers. Even a
mob wants to pride itself upon knowing a few things and glo
rifies its leader or leaders to the extreme, since that reflects
credit upon themselves.

' I had four members who went off to follow Mr. Dowie ;
several that leaned that way. Their sincerity I could not
question. It seemed to me a sort of infatuation. They were
not persons of mental acuteness. They were almost wholly
of the class who regarded learning rather as a hindrance than
a help to godliness."

'' I have had some association with those who have gone
into Dowieism. I have in mind four instances. One of a
young woman, honest but uneducated, who at the importunity
of friends, on whom she was somewhat dependent, accom
panied them to Zion City. Shortly afterwards she wrote me for
a letter of dismission that she might unite with Dowie's church.
The wording and general manner of the letter convinced me
that she was writing at the dictation of another person. So I al
lowed the matter to rest for awhile. Two weeks later I received
another letter withdrawing her request. Another instance
was the young woman's sister. She was a woman of limited
intelligence, highly emotional nature, and questionable char-

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 173

acter. She had got out of harmony with the church of which
she was considered a member, and took up Dowieism in a
spirit of self-justification or of revenge or both. I am ac
quainted with two Baptist ministers who have become Dowie-
ites. The course of one man was as follows : Presbyterian,
Baptist, Christian Alliance, Divine Healing, Dowieism, and
is now a Baptist again. The fourth instance is a Baptist
minister who held a pastorate at P. . He was of mid
dle age and was looked upon as a man of more than usual
strength. ... To his brethren it looked as tho a feeling of
soreness at not finding a congenial pastorate had something
to do with his change of affiliations tho it may not have had."

" I have known a number who either are or have been his
(Dowie's) followers. With two exceptions I have no reason
to doubt their sincerity. None of them have been above the
average in culture or intellect. Not one of them has been in
the true sense of the words learned in the Scriptures. Nearly
all of them have been before their contact with his teachings
of the histerico-pious type of religionists. Some of them were
tinctured with a pharisaic spirit."

" Have met some of them (Dowieites). Believe them to
be sincere, can not but respect them for their sincerity. Be
lieve them people who are usually easily led and carried away
by religious fanaticism of any kind. Think them mentally
as acute as the ordinary run of people."

"I understand that six or eight of the most spiritual and
conscientious members left and went over to Dowie a year or
so before we came here. ... I could not question the sin
cerity of the followers of Dowie whom I have known, and while
they seemed mentally sound on ever}7 other subject, relig
iously they seemed to be blind to everything that did not
favor Dowieism."

"My own experience with people who hold such views
tenaciously would be that as a rule they are one-sided, and
can thus be of little use except in this one matter. . . . Their
allegiance to the matter will be short-lived and they will in

174 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

turn then become indifferent to the many other great and per
haps greater things of life."

" One was a Dowieite by force of circumstances and igno
rance of the churches. She has had unusual spiritual experi
ences, like visions, etc., but we think she isn't quite right.
Acts very queerly sometimes. . . . Have known an old couple
who were Dowieites. Splendid people, honest, sincere — not
intellectually acute ; also their daughter and grandaughter
who were educated and intelligent. . . . Also a Doctor of
Divinity and wife, who were ardent believers ; but a visit to
Dowie for healing for the wife cured them of it. It is notable
that Dowie's followers all seem to be attracted by the heal
ing, not by any spiritual truth — a selfish consideration
mainly."

" I have met many followers of Dowie and believe as a rule
the}' are sincere in their beliefs, but I have met very few who
seem to possess a strong character and very few who think,
onl3r as Dowie says they must. Whether this is the result
of lack of mental acuteness or not I am not prepared to
say. A majority, however, impress me with the fact that
they are overzealous in trying to be true to Christ and know
very little of the word of God, hence were led astray by appar
ent use of the word."

' The Dowieites I have known are naturally eccentric and
opinionated. I can not say they are very greatly lacking in
intelligence. Those I happen to know personally keep the
Sabbath to the letter and in other respects live by rule. I
know of no blemish on their character."

' The followers of Dowie that I have met seem to me to be
sincere. They certainly had mental acuteness equal to the
average. . . . They are exceedingly dogmatic, but they seem
to be at peace. They are ardent workers for the principles
they have adopted."

Their sincerity in my mind is unquestionable except in
occasional instances. Yet as to their mental acumen, I have
felt that thev were rather deficient. They are people gene-

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 175

rally controlled by one idea, or have become subservient to
one person."

" Have met a few who have been followers of Dowie and
have been impressed with their sincerity, but they were glad
to free themselves from these influences when once their
eyes were opened."

" Most of them honest people; but terribly cranky, if you
step on their toes. They have a hobby and ride it to death.
Orthodox but uncharitable."

"I have known some of them at least, well. They are
mostly or entirely made up of the poorer people and those of
slight education and vacillating character. For the most part
they are people who are of fair moral character tho some con
spicuous lapses have occurred. Many have given up property
and associations to follow Dowie. ... I think most of these
people are sincere at least at first. Some have 'apostated.'
They are not mentally well balanced in my judgment as evi
denced by things I have known of many of them outside of
this particular vagary."

* The number of Dowieites that I have met have surely
been sincere but with a sincerity due to an apparent igno
rance."

Testimony of this sort might be multiplied indefinitely,
but from what we have before us and from what our preced
ing chapters show, we are able to come to some fairly definite
conclusions.

(i) Mr. Bowie's people all believe in divine healing in
direct answer to prayer apart from any means, usually em
ployed for the alleviation of pain and cure of disease. They
are in most cases consistent in adhering to this principle and
practice. The large majority have been led to follow him
through this belief, having been healed, really or supposedly,
themselves, or having been influenced by friends who were
healed.

Under this head would of course come that large number of
persons who for purely selfish ends, for example, the healing

176 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

'and help for the body they hoped to receive, have left a church
less promising and have sought Mr. Dowie and Zion. An
elder in Zion writes me, " I will say in brief that a compari
son with the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ would show
you, as it would all wise men, at a glance, that the conditions
will be the same here in their degree as they were with Jesus
in his day and with his earthly followers. Loaves and fishes ?
Yes ! Flight and confusion when he was gone ? Yes. These
are simple principles of human life. Mixed motives, selfish
motives and all sorts, but the grandest following any man
ever had followed the Christ. And the principle is the same
here. The grandest set of Christians ever gathered on God's
earth are here and I have tested them every way."

(2) These people have come to regard Mr. Dowie as an ex
traordinary person, as an agent of God's healing of the body ;
and whatever may be the terminology the use about God
doing the healing, Mr. Dowie simply presenting God's teach
ing, they instinctively feel him to be possessed of extraordi
nary power in prayer and to be the efficient visible cause of
multitudes of recoveries. "God used him" they say. They
have come from the other 'denominations largehr perhaps as
many as three-fourths of them, t

* This was written while he was in full loyalty to Mr. Dowie.

t Personal letter to me from one of the more intelligent, but neverthe
less "docile" followers of Mr. Dowie :

"I believe you err in the words, 'the interpretation Zion commands.'
I have no consciousness of any command either in language or by infer
ence, to accept any given interpretation. Indeed great liberty is allowed.
Overseer Excell, for instance, is a Sabbath keeper. He will not work on
Saturday. He also considers it wrong to eat any meat. Not twenty thou
sand of our people have been baptized by the baptism Dr. Dowie declares is
the sole one. Yet without any command almost everyone in Zion thinks
it the part of wisdom to take the Doctor's interpretation without question
or hesitation.

You inquire about the people of Zion as 1 know them. Zion is made
up of the fairly educated, moderately circumstanced, middle class. There
are of course many who were formerly trash, and many who come from
the learned and professional classes. But the numbers of each of these

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 177

(3) They are for the most part absolutely sincere and to
the extent of their ability loyal to their leader who stands in
the place of God and God's will to them. They have in full
faith accepted his claims and willingly address him as the
"First Apostle." *

(4) There has been considerable lapsing because of unsta-
bleness on the part of some of the people, and some deser
tions because of unwillingness to fully admit all Zion's re
quirement and teachings ; some exclusions because of insub
ordination, or breach of the rigid Zion discipline. These have
not materially affected the faith and devotion of those who
remain. Many of the seceders were the most ardent support
ers and advocates of the movement and its teaching while in
fellowship with Zion.

(5) These people come almost entirely from what might be
called the lower bourgeois or middle class, either poor or pos-

extremes are not so large a percentage of the whole membership nearly,
as the total number in these classes in the world is to the whole popula
tion. It is still true that the common people hear him gladly. The peo
ple were formerly of every possible religious type. I believe, however,
Methodism and Roman Catholicism have the first rank in having fur
nished members for Zion.

I do not believe that Dr. Dowie's ministry will result in a general quick
ening of the Denominations. I look for the reverse. Indeed I look upon
Zion as one of the causes of the evident retrogression in the spiritual
power of the Denominations. That last sentence does not suit me, -now
that it is down. I substitute 'occasions' for 'causes.'

I am always ready to reply carefully to such intelligent questions as
you put. 1 thank you for your good opinion of me, saying I am able to
express myself intelligently. It is unquestionably and unfortunately a
somewhat rare capability.

Praying earnestly God's blessing upon you, and inquiring of you as a
minister once inquired of me, 'Why not forsake the old rotting hulk
wherein you have sailed so long, and get into the crew of that beautiful
war ship, the C. C. A. C. in Zion.' "

*The events which led to widespread desertion occurred after this was
written. It was a true statement of the situation at the time, and the de
sertions illustrate a trait they exhibit, discussed later.

178 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

sessed of limited means; on or below the average of intelligence;
below the average in general culture; of little or no critical fac
ulty in the scientific use of the term. I say this for reasons
that are general : The tone of their letters to me, the compo
sition and contents, inability to analyze their own experi
ences, their perfect naivete in many instances. In conversa
tion and by observation in Zion City and Zion homes I find
this to be true. The letters quoted from pastors as testimony
either are neutral on this matter or bear out this view.

In corroboration also comes the testimony of some who have
lived in Zion. A lady who spent two years there told me that
few indeed of those coming to the city could do more than
buy a home, and the majority could not do that. Those
coming from a distance, Australia or Europe, or the far
west of the United States, as a large company of them did
about the time she was leaving, had spent all they possessed
in making the journey and were relying upon the work they
w,ere to secure in Zion immediately for a livelihood.

(6) They are literalists in Bible interpretation and incapa
ble, tho they had the inclination, of making a balanced, his
torical exegesis of a Scripture passage ; but open to ready
conviction through a crude proof text argument, to almost
any belief, but especiall}7 to the ones lying nearest to their
personal interest, that is to divine healing and the like. This
even holds good of the officers of Zion who are alien and
hostile to all of the modern historical and scientific spirit.

(7) They are very religious — indeed making religion a bur
den through its exactions — but of righteous purpose and en
deavor. They would make religion the chief business of life,
almost the exclusive business, and only seem happy when in
a meeting where practically the same things are said over and
over, if couched in religious phraseolog}7. Their very diver
sions in Zion City have a religious flavor, and the love of the
spectacular which is present in nearly all simple folk is grati
fied by a rather gorgeous ritual, processions, gowns, and
robes. The names of the streets and avenues, the Elijah

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 179

Hospice, Shiloh House and a multitude of other things con
spire to give all of life a religious surrounding and atmos
phere, and this seems to be just the thing for people who
regard all the rest of the world under the dominion of the
Devil. The better portion of them have readily accepted the
teaching on holy living, involving repentance, restitution,
forsaking of evil habits and an ordering of the life according
to the Bible, or rather Zion's moral code purporting to be
drawn from the Bible.

(8) They are of a class easily led, in fact crave a guidance
that is real and tangible. They want to feel that God is real
to them, but find his will expressed in their leaders and supe
riors in the church to whom they are taught to give implicit
obedience, which is done except in isolated cases of disaffec
tion and insubordination which are summarily dealt with.

A prominent editor says : ' They are as inferior physically
as mentally. Hardly without exception they are weak-framed,
dull-witted creatures of the sort who crave a master as a dog
does ... a band of human misfits that would follow any
leader who cared to shout orders to them."

This is largely a true estimate, for they are morbidly given
to thinking of their ailments, even \vhen planning and pray
ing to be rid of them. They are not the sort to do independ
ent thinking, and as a matter of fact no book or even tract or
anything of note has been published by any of Mr. Dowie's
followers in the fifteen years of his more public work. These
people are not the kind to take the initiative, nor would Mr.
Dowie tolerate amT rival theory or belief, altho one of the
propositions upon which the organization was formed was
"liberty in non-essentials."

Such an organization and discipline as Mr. Dowie has built
up and maintained would not, and has not attracted men of
independent judgment or native ability. They must be slav
ishly loyal to their leader as a condition of remaining in
Zion. *

*This might seem to need qualification as Mr. Voliva appears to be an

i8o JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

The attacks upon Mr. Dowie by his officers after the revolt
was an accomplished fact reveals what sort of men they are.
Sunday, April 22, 1906, in Central Zion Tabernacle, Chicago,
an Overseer charged Mr. Dowie with embezzling charity
funds, citing the case of the money raised in 1902 for the
Martinique disaster sufferers which never reached them. That
he remained silent until Overseer Voliva had made the revolt
assured, incriminates him and shows incidentally that Zion
officers have been under the absolute sway of Mr. Dowie.

(9) Partly because the foregoing statements are true with
respect to Mr. Dowie's followers, and for further reasons
which we will try to show, they are seen to be people who not
only aim, however sincerely, to reproduce primitive Christi
anity, but are people who reveal primitive traits of character.*
Mr. Dowie himself is a sample. Testimonies are abundant to
show that he possesses a kindliness of disposition at various
times, and not infrequent are his humorous sallies, and at
tempts at being "funny;" but the primitive traits of anger and
intense excitement are ever ready to show themselves. His
violent outbursts without any apparently sufficient provoca
tion are numerous, and have been witnessed by nearly every
one who has attended one of his services.

We can not feel that all this is simulated either, or done
simply for effect, for once we saw him when some children
were playing outside the tabernacle in Zion City during serv
ice, give angry orders that they be stopped immediately. A
few moments later as nothing had been done, he stormed at
the Zion guards sitting near the front, angrily reprimanding

exception. If he is an exception, he is apparently a deceiver, as his
protestations of loyalty at the time Mr. Dowie was taken sick were loudest
of all. Before coming to America from Australia the same devotion and
loyalty were subserviently reiterated.

* A primitive person is one who is physically active, highly emotional
and with feeble reasoning powers— a child of conjecture and imagination
—a type which ranges from ideo-motor to ideo-emotional— Cf. Davenport,
Primitive Traits in Religious Revivals, p. 13.

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 181

them publicly, for not obeying and looking after those chil
dren. They, like a well disciplined squad of soldiery, double-
quicked to the valiant service of silencing three or four young
sters. Mr. Dowie fairly snorted around for a few moments,
and then resumed his harangue upon Secretism. At another
time in a public meeting he scolded almost beyond endurance,
a frail woman, with a babe that occasionally gave a cry. In
a prayer we heard him make, in dealing with the denomina
tions, he fairly lost his temper in telling the Lord the fright
ful wickedness of the miserable Episcopalians. By a process
of auto-suggestion he worked himself into a passion in this
prayer until words failed him to express the intense feeling
that was upon him. Mr. Dowie reminds one forcibly of the
most uncanny character of that large group of extremists of
the Great Awakening in New England, "Rev. Mr. Daven
port, "* who lacked the brains and balance of Edwards and
whose furious bursts of abuse and derision when opposed if
ever so mildly, make him a character very difficult of analy
sis. The passional and emotional often had the upper hand
in his soul, and they certainly do in his modern counterpart,
the Founder of Zion, and villifier of all who oppose him.

But our present discussion has to do not so much with Mr.
Dowie, as with his followers. The very fact that they
renounce all drugs and doctors would for many be evidence
for classing them as a primitive people. But this point is
open for discussion, as many persons clearly abreast of the
present age in attainments and culture, renounce the use of
drugs and seldom deem it wise to summon a physican.
However, as Dr. Buckley says: ''it is the fact that faith-
healers of this type claim that to obtain healing from God
they must refuse the use of the natural means which he has
provided, which shows them to be superstitious, and imprints
upon their foreheads the name fanatic." t

*Cf. Davenport, Primitive Traits in Religious Revivals, p. 118ft.
t Pamphlet, Dowie Analyzed and Classified.

1 82 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

There is or seems to be on the part of all believers in this
theory of healing, a dense ignorance of human nature and its
inherent powers of self-recuperation, which bring multitudes
back from the very brink of death. This indicates that they
are wholly or in part given to attributing unusual cures of
apparently hopeless cases to a miraculous intervention of
God, and this was the way primitive superstitious people ac
counted for anything unusual. "What seems to them mys
terious and even miraculous is regarded by those who have
made a scientific study of human nature as liable to occur at
any time."

Their belief in demon-possession is another evidence of
their being primitive. Without discussing the facts of which
this is only one interpretation, * we might remark that what
is known as demon-possession, or the facts which are thus
interpreted are found almost exclusively among primitive peo
ples. Phenomena of this sort do appear in the midst of civil
ized nations and communities, but there are special reasons
for this in a particular local atmosphere, or environing causes.

Dr. Nevius in "Demon Possession and Allied Themes"
takes the very same view as does Mr. Dowie and his follow-,
ers, that is, " that as yet no theory has been advanced which
so well accords with the facts as the simple and unquestioning
conclusion so universally held by the Christians of Shantung,
viz: that evil spirits do in many instances possess or control
the mind and will of human beings." This belief of course
is the one which follows a literal interpretation of the New
Testament without historical considerations of current belief
and temporary thought-form. We maintain therefore that
to account for such phenomena by referring them to demon
possession, is a mark of that primitive mind, or a primitive
survival which finds it easy to believe in witches, voodoes,
ghosts and the like. Mr. Dowie's people do so account for
all obsessions and even class other phenomena in the same
category, vaguely believing that a something called a devil

*See Discussion, Doctrines of Zion.

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 183

possesses the man or woman given over to a Godless life or
unclean habits. *

The vast majority of Christians it is true do belive in actual
demon-possession in Bible times, because of a literal interpre
tation of the Bible, or rather a reverence for the authority of
the Bible, which takes in a belief in the correctness of all the
ideas of the writer and the ideas of his age which he shares
and reflects, but to their credit be it said, they do not any
longer believe it to be a thing of the present, having come to
be modern and sufficiently permeated by the scientific spirit
and method as to be released from this primitive belief and
fear, except perhaps those of nervous or morbid condition,
and the sort who are found in Zion. Many Zionites are char
acterized by a strong imagination of the primitive sort. They
fill the gaps between perception or experience, not by logical
interpretation, but a crude imagination, f Here is a sample.
A woman, the wife of one of Zion's Elders, told me personally
that upon one occasion her husband came home from meeting
and found her choked up with a sore throat until it was diffi
cult for her to breathe. He turned to God and prayed earn
estly for her relief, and at once she felt, as it were, something
touching her throat, and that the feeling of tightness and dis
tress passed on down through her body and out at her feet.
" Now what was that?" she said, "it was the Holy Spirit
that touched me and sent away that distrees and sickness."

This is not an isolated experience, for time and again these
people have said to me, " I just felt the sickness and pain
leaving me," or similar expressions. In conversation with
an elder, he said that he " believed in a God who actually
comes down and helps people," meaning by this in his fuller
explanation, that God actually places his touch upon people
to heal in answer to prayer. They objectify subjective expe
rience in true primitive style. This will account in part for
the wonderful tenacity with which they hold to the belief in

* They loosely refer to the tobacco habit as the tobacco demon.
fCf. Davenport, Op. Cit, p. 14ff.

184 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

divine healing, for whatever they conceive vividly with the
imagination, they believe with all the soul. * In spite of Mr.
Dowie or any of the healers declaring that it is God and not
they who have done the healing, they are positively regarded
by the healed as having unusual access to God in prayer, and
whatever doctrines they preach are accepted by the healed
who are convinced of their recovery through this divine agent.
Hence it is that many of Mr. Dowie's followers have taken
this view of him — " I could believe he is anything he claims
to be, as God works so mightily through him." t

Thus it is that while they give a semblance of a Scripture
argument for their faith in him as a Prophet and Apostle, it
really rests upon a conviction born of an experience a vivid
primitive imagination has made possible, that this man is
verily God's Prophet. Against such there is no argument
save time's own disillusionment, and it is painful to see how
Scripture goes by the board when an unkindness, or a revela
tion of falseness too great to be ignored, sweeps away this
erstwhile faith and simple trust, because the facts are seen to
be against it. t

*Cf. Davenport, op. cit. p. 16, ff.

f The person who actually said these words never was a resident of
Zion City, and is now extremely hostile to Mr. Dowie. She was healed
by him of partial insanity, or better, extreme nervous prostration.

t Mr. C. J. Barnard once of Oak Park, Chicago, Presbyterian Church,
gives the following recital of his experience with Mr. Dowie: "Six
years ago my daughter was twelve years old. She was a sweet child and
my wife and I were devoted to her. She became afflicted with curvature
ot the spine. It progressed in spite of physicians until her head was
drawn far back and she was in constant agony. We called in many doc
tors and surgeons, among the latter consulting the most eminent in the
country and were told by all that there was no hope for her. If she lived
she would be a cripple all her life. Any father and mother can under
stand our grief when we were told that. We determined to move heaven
and earth to have her cured. ... At last we heard of some one who had
been cured by Dr. Dowie. We determined to listen to him. We did so
and after long study of the Bible became convinced that it was right and
that God was willing to heal all who believed in Jesus. We believed :

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 185

Mr. Davenport argues that nervous instability is the chief
of a group of primitive characteristics which has as its inevita
ble accompaniament, impulsiveness, a remarkable imitative-
ness and suggestibility, and great lack of inhibitive control.
He says, " In spite of this extraordinary susceptibility, there
is probably less insanity than among civilized pe'oples. . . .
The primitive man is led to action by impulse rather than by
motives carefully reflected upon."

If it can be shown that Mr. Dowie's people have in the main
acted, or customarily act, by impulse rather than by motives
carefully reflected upon, if they show a high degree of imita-
tiveness and suggestibility, they are clearly proved to be
primitive in their mental characteristics, and under proper
conditions would exhibit the reflex accompaniaments, such as
trances, dreams, visions, rapid imitations, involuntary trem
blings, violent spasmodic actions and uncontrollable fear.

The trait of imitativeness is seen in almost every letter a
member of Zion has written to me. They reproduce Mr.
Dowie's " God's Way of Healing" and the stereotyped ex
pressions one hears in their leader's public utterances. In
no case has a letter from any one not an officer revealed any
originality even of arrangement of argument, or independent
attitude toward any idea or belief or Scripture text.

so did our daughter. We went to Dr. Dowie and he laid hands on her
and prayed. Instantly her pain departed from her and to this day has not
returned. Her back became straight, and she is to-day a healthy, happy
and entirely well young woman and the joy of our hearts. Understand
ing that is it any wonder to you that we follow Dr. Dowie with undying
love and obey his wishes even before they are uttered, if we can guess
them." (Century 42, 1902, p 941). Deacon Peckham had the same ex
perience only it was Mrs. Peckham who was healed. Deacon Barnard
became Mr. Dowie's efficient financial manager, and without knowing the
details of the business of Zion City, we feel sure that to him in large part
is due the credit of managing affairs so as to keep things going in spite of
Mr. Dowie's unwise measures. He found in February, 190S, that matters
were being conducted by Mr. Dowie in such a way that he could see
nothing but financial ruin awaiting the organization, and he resigned and
quietly withdrew.

1 86 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

An interesting and illuminating incident occurred once in
our Young People's prayer meeting. Three Zion people were
present and by coincidence the topic was " The Great Physi
cian." The statement of Jesus " They that are whole need
not a physician ; but they that are sick. I came not to call
the righteous but sinners to repentance," was read, and in
comment upon it we said that here at least Jesus does not
disparage the physician, using his ministry to the sick as a
figure for the greater work that was His own in ministering
to the moral and spiritual life of man. Jesus addressed him
self primarily to the inner life, and it was his mission to re
store the spirit of man to fellowship with God the Father.
When the discussion was opened to all present, a Deacon of
Zion, a large good-natured weak-faced man arose and follow
ing Mr. Dowie's discussion "Satan the Denier, Jesus the
Healer," which he evidently had outlined in his Bible, said
in substance : "Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of
the Devil, i John 3:8. Now turn to Acts 10:38, 'and healing
all- that were oppressed of the Devil.' Now turn to Luke
13:16." As he read the passage he inserted purposely the
word "God" for "Satan," making it read, " whom God has
bound, lo these eighteen years." " Is that right ?" he said;
but no one even lisped a syllable altho every one was giving
strict attention. He was in a different atmosphere from a
Zion meeting. There, whether the audience had been large or
small, a chorus of "no's" would have responded, and to his
further question, "who did bind her then ?" "Satan," would
have been the instant reply. Again and again do Zion peo
ple betray themselves by an imitation of Mr. Dowie's method
or his phraseology. One can in a short conversation with one
of them class him as a follower of Mr. Dowie without his
name being mentioned or any reference to Zion being made.*

* THOSE WHO ATTEMPT TO IMITATE THE GENERAL OVERSEER
HINDER ZION.

Some of you are very offensive.
I shall talk plainly,

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 187

The smaller meetings of Zion people, for example, cottage
meetings, a number of which we have attended, are merely
repetitions of Mr. Dowie's ideas and utterances of the larger
meetings, threshed over and over until one would think the
people would wear}- to hear them ; but to all appearances they
come as novelties and elicit the same sort of responses.

In a morning meeting in Elijah Hospice, September 25,
1903, among other things the leader said, " There are many
truths revealed to the General Overseer, but we are not ready
to receive them — the Elijah question for example. Let us
keep our mouths shut until we know. Criticism becomes a
loop-hole for the Devil. Rise above criticism. If you do
whatever he commands you'll have the blessing." This was

You hinder Zion.

You think that you can ape and imitate the General Overseer, but you
can not do it.

That is impossible.

There is only one man like me in the world, and that is myself.

I am thankful to God that you will never have any success in trying
to imitate me.

1 do not want any one else to bear the burdens 1 have borne.

I do not want any one else to pass through the afflictions through which
I have passed.

I do not want any one else to win the successes I have won at the price
I have paid ; and yet 1 am not sorry tor any price I have paid for them,
or for any path I have had to tread.

You must understand that you can not under any circumstances be the
General Overseer.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but the General Over
seer does not appreciate your imitations of him.

They are very poor imitations.

There are some Elders, indeed some Deacons, as well as others that
want to be like the General Overseer in talking.

Do you not know that you irritate, rather than help, because you are
affecting something that does not belong to you ?

There is only one man, as far as 1 know, that has my commission, and
that is myself.

This warning does not apply to the people in general, because they do
not attempt to imitate me.— Leaves of Healing, Vol. 15, No. 16, p. 502.

i88 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

the general thread of the leader's talk, but not one dared as
sert the right of private judgment during the open discussion
which followed, and taking the leader's suggestion they reite
rated the thought of submission.

I can not but interpret the foregoing attitude of these peo
ple as indicating an element of fear mingled with imitative-
ness. It is scarce!}7 explained on the principle of policy.
True that may be and doubtless is an explanation in part of
the great deference shown the General Overseer's ideas and
expressions. The people of the rank and file were certainly
afraid that anything but submission to Mr. Dowie would incur
'the Divine displeasure, and they were really afraid of him.
This and the imitativeness make the impulse to gang action
very strong and suppress individual initiative in Zion until it
has nearly reached the vanishing point.

There are many persons with more or less education in
full touch with the modern world-culture, who, under certain
circumstances, are for a time reduced to a primitive mental
and nervous condition by the application of the influence of
a psychological crowd, and those of high suggestibility will
manifest the primitive traits in great strength, under high ex
citement and in such a gathering. Under such conditions
the latter class will be governed by their feelings chiefly and
their actions will in general be impulsive rather than delibera
tive, and the former are liable to revert to this primitive type.
The individual power of inhibition will be very greatly modi
fied or even swallowed up in the mass movement or feeling
and the audience will have become a psychological crowd.

The reflexes which are likely to accompany the bringing of
highly suggestible people together in a crowd will depend
largely upon the character of the leadership and the emotions
that are appealed to. In the old time revival where the ter
rors of hell were dwelt upon agonizing groans and prostra
ting fear with convulsions were not infrequent. Visions of
glory, ' Hallelujahs," and expressions of excessive joy are the
accompaniament of the camp-meeting revival of the present

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 189

South, whereas the Kentucky Revival of 1800 witnessed
tremblings, shrieking, the "jerks" and other reflex phe
nomena.*

It is clear that Mr. Dowie has sought to suppress and has
suppressed much of the excessive emotionalism that would
naturally be expected in his larger public meetings, and Zion
has never been friendly to those who are in the habit of "see
ing things." The expression of feeling in his meetings has
been carefully directed toward the quieter voicing of approval
or disapproval by "yes," or "no" or "that's so" and the like.
Applause is quite frequent ; and laughter sometimes vocifer
ous, is heard in Zion meetings. However, reflex phenomena
do occur, and it is not unusual that some one has to be qui
eted in a public meeting. During the last week of February,
1906, when Overseer Voliva was in charge of Zion City, he
is reported to have "caused a number of the 'citizens' who
have been receiving ' messages ' and seeing visions to meet
him in his office, and there ridiculed them until he was satis
fied that his words had had the desired effect. ' There will be
no more of such nonsense,' he said."

That so little is said of dreams and visions is due to the
surrounding atmosphere in the churches which has discredited
all such 'revelations,' and the opposition and disapproval of
the leaders to which reference has been made. For the same
reason trances are not frequent, at least are not reported.
There are many Zion people tho who attach great signifi
cance to premonitions, dreams and presentiments; and who, past
questions, would under the same sort of preaching and atmos
phere as the earlier revivals had, manifest the same reflexes
with greater frequency.

(10) Mr. Dowie's people furnish an excellent illustration of
a psycological crowd, in popular parlance, a mob.

It is true that some have never been fully assimilated to the
Zion idea and teaching, nor to absolute loyalty to Mr. Dowie,
but these only constitute a fringe, as it were, of that large in-

*Cf. Davenport, op. cit. p. 216 ff.

i9o JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

ner mass who have been ganged around the person of the
"Apostle," and the ideas and institutions of Zion, and have
been molded into a psychological crowd.

A crowd is one of the simplest forms of social organism,
being not an aggregate of individuals merely, but a new and
distinct body with a life of its own, and traits and attributes
peculiar to itself, acting upon emotions belonging strictly to
the collective body. " Mobs are of several kinds, as the
street mob, political mob, the lynching mob, the religious
mob, the reading mob, etc. . . . The street mob is the nor
mal type ; it displays in simplest forms the eager emotion,
the imperfect comprehension, the irrational action that mark
the mob." Of course the street mob is likely to be short
lived, as the core around which it organizes itself is not a
permanent thing, but rather fleeting in its nature. The lynch
mob likewise, has only a brief "existence, but such mobs have
been known to maintain their existence for days and even
weeks, tho the different component parts were following their
usual vocations or engaged in a more or less diligent search
for the object of their fury. As long as the controlling pur
pose or idea has not been changed by the death of their vic
tim, it simply led an intermittent life, ready to be realized in
action. The political mob may live, practically through a
campaign, or simply till the echoes of a "spell-binder's"
voice has died away, and the component parts have dispersed.
A religious mob will probably be longer lived, perhaps be
cause of the inherent conservatism of religious ideas, or
because of the need for greater time to realize its aims and
carry out the plans or purposes of its leaders. Hence its
unity will be oftener broken, and the coming and going almost
incessant, as its core ideas lose their grip on some of the old
or attract new disciples. The inner batch remains sufficiently
unified to be a quiescent mob ever ready to respond to the
leaders' touch. It has been thus with Zion. Mr. Sedg-

* Article, "Mob Spirit in Literature "—Mr. Sedgwick, Atlantic Monthly,
July, 1905.

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 191

wick * indicates what traits seem to him to be essential to
constitute a mob. We reproduce his thought, (a) Numbers
are essential. ' There must be a great congregation, so that
individuals may act and react upon one another. The greater
the sum of these interactions, the more coherent, the more
sensitive, the more compact, the more mobile the body be
comes. Where the number of persons is very great the new
organism wholly dominates the individual members ; when
the number is small, the mob is of low vitality, torpid, flac
cid, and exercises only a shadowy control over its members who
retain practically all their independence as individuals."

(b) The composition of a mob is immaterial. It may be
composed of all classes and conditions, all businesses and
callings, diverse in training, education and sex. ' They may
be mild mannered or harsh, equable or capricious, sour or
jovial ; once united in a mob the}' strip themselves of those
traits and acquire instincts and inhibitions, sensibility to
stimuli, and tendencies to action to which as individuals they
were strangers."

(c) There must be mutual relations and common interests —
a point of contact each with the others. The necessary con
dition of meeting upon a common plane is not physical but
psychical. Physical contact is an aid in the case of a street
mob to give psychical contact, but this may be communicated
at a distance, by any means capable of conveying emotions
while they are still warm. Literature is servicable to this
end.

(d) The chemical union, the crystallization of the mob, de
pends on two things, a proper condition of receptivity, and a
power of suggestion mutually acting on each other. It is
akin to the process of hypnotism. ' The miraculous cures
at Lourdes, Ste. Anne de Beaupre are analogous : the pa
tient is thoroughly receptive, he is special!}7 conscious of the
sense of numbers, that he is not an isolated cripple come to
be cured, but a constituent part of a miraculous circuit of

* Article cited.

i92 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

true believers, sensible to the thrills of life from some great
and mysterious source. He is physically alone but psychi
cally one of many and reacts to the sense of numbers."

(e) Rudimentary intellectual life, with no reasoning or
critical faculty. Perhaps to say a primitive condition of
mental and emotional life is most manifest in mobs, would be
a more comprehensive statement. " Reflex action answers to
peripheral stimulus, there is no pondering, no consideration,
no choice of acts." There are many minor traits such as ten
dency to exaggeration, to excesses, to destruction of existing
institutions and customs ; intolerance, dictatorialness, and
considerable conservatism at times, manifested by crowds.
But all of these would probably come under the designation,
primitive.

With this outline analysis of mobs in mind we make our in
terpretation of the entire movement known as the C. C. A. C.
in Zion.

Most of the characteristics exhibited by a mob are latent
in all human beings, and it is a comparatively small minor
ity with sufficiently strong inhibitory powers to be incapable
of ever being one of the component parts of a mob.

The Baptist denomination, for example, is not a psycho
logical mob, but it could be transformed into one, at least a
large majority of its people could, on any issue of enough im
portance to awaken the gang spirit of defense or aggression.
True the disintegrating influences on denominational compact
ness of the modern spirit of unit}7 and interdenominational
co-operation and fellowship, would make an occasion less likely
and a fusion more difficult.

The Abolitionist Party, altho numbering in its ranks many
highly educated, noble men, had all the marks of a psycho
logical mob in the broadest sense of the terms, and whenever
a section of the party came together in a convention or gather
ing of any sort it was capable of all the excesses and extremes
of emotional outburst and frenzied action of a psycholog
ical mob.

THE PEOPLE OE /ION 195

The inherent capacity is in all men practically. A given
body of ideas, especially in their newness, real or apparent,
however disseminated, constitute a rallying point or basis of
mob movement and action. When in actual proximity men
of these ideas and passions can be molded by a strong leader
almost to his will, by a skillful use of images, words and
formulas, appealing to their common interests, desires and
tendencies.

From our chapters on Point of Contact, Propaganda, Di
vine Healing, and Doctrines of /ion ; indeed from all that
has gone before, we see the remote causes and proper condi
tions for making Mr. Dowie's people capable of being molded
into a psychological mob or crowd by such a man as he, or any-
other leader for that matter, who would use these ideas and
methods. These people, naturally possessing the primitive
traits necessary to the formation of a crowd, possessed also the
attitude toward God, and the JHble, which made fertile ground
where the peculiar ideas of /ion could germinate as if by
spontaneity and divine implanting. And it is always the
points of peculiarity which find emphasis in a group, and
which the leader puts forward as a rallying center and im
pulse toward social action. ""

Mr. Dowie's people are a crowd in the wider sense of being
ganged permanently by certain ideas and a strong leader.
They become when massed in one large meeting, the intenser
form of crowd and are easily swayed in the direction of their
controlling ideas and emotions such as, for example, ' it is
God's will," " it is right," ** the Kingdom of God demands
it," or any form of religious appeal which brings immediate
action without time for reflection or criticism. LeBon says,
'The outburst and putting in practice of certain ideas among
crowds presents at times a startling suddenness. This is
only a superficial effect, behind which must be sought a pre
liminary and preparatory action of long duration. The imme-

*Cf. Article on Conformity and Heresy, by George H. Vincent, Metho
dist Review, January and February, 1906.

194 JOHN ALEXANDER DOVVIE

diate factors are those which coming on the top of this long
preparatory working in whose absence they would remain
without effect, serve as the source^ of active persuasion on
crowds: that is, they are the factors which cause the idea to
take shape and set it loose with all its consequences."

It might seem, and would doubtless be argued by the new
regime in Zion, that all this is not to the point as the people
are now completely free from the domination of Mr. Dowie
and have abandoned many of his notions. But the transfer
of loyaltv is just what best illustrates the foregoing quotation
from LeBon, and incidentally furnishes illustration for other
features of crowd action.

It is conceded that Mr. Dowie's tyranny and mismanage
ment had caused dissatisfaction on the part of individuals
here and there for the past few years, but at no time up to
his departure from Zion City in December, 1905, would it
have been possible for any dissenting voice to be tolerated in
the large assembly of Zion people, even tho a clear case of
oppression could be made out against the head of Zion. Not
only would the absolutism of Mr. Dowie make that impossi
ble, but the sanction of the officers now in revolt, would have
been unanimous for any kind of tyrannous suppression of in
dividual rights. Without a hearing or a chance for protest,
the rigid discipline would be enforced with the "amen" of
every one of those who now charge Mr. Dowie with usurpa
tion and wrong doing. But the people fail to realize this.
Their critical faculty has slept through the entire revolt and
the only expression of dissatisfaction has been at the sugges
tion of the leaders who have used the emotions of the people
to break Mr. Dowie's hold.

Moreover, the people themselves saw, time after time,
what they now interpret as tyranny, and gave no dissenting
voice ;. but rather with a chorus of approvals, sanctioned Mr.
Dowie's every step, and made possible the very wrong doing
that they now condemn. It will not suffice to sav that they
feared to do otherwise, for on the part of those who really

THK PEOPLE OE ZION 195

felt otherwise than as they expressed themselves, there is
moral blameworthiness and guilt: and if they gave assent un
critically, becoming" a part of a crowd of oppressors, mv point
is made without further ado.

But let us go further. This dissatisfaction with Mr. Dowie's
mismanagement was growing among the people, fanned by
the testimony of those who had been his victims of oppression,
or who, because of failure to give full assent to his doings,
were summarily dealt with, (and these are the pople who
really deserve the credit for the revolt, not the officers) and
it had reached almost to the exploding point, simply needing
a voicer to let it loose with all its power as a special expres
sion, not of individual feeling and conviction based upon
reflection and judgment, but of crowd emotion and gang ac
tion. Circumstances provided a leader, as they did also the
opportune time, for this supreme expression of crowd feeling
which would dethrone from the place of absolute authority
and power, the man who had gathered them and led them step
by step uncritically as a crowd, into actions and beliefs which
would be renounced with the renunciation of his supreme
leadership.

April first, in the early morning meeting, alter the transfer
had been made the preceding day, of all the; Zion properties,
hints of extravagance and mismanagement were made, and by
indirection the condition of receptivity on the part of the peo
ple for the idea of complete revolt, was primed. We have
said that it had been prepared by the growing dissatisfaction.
It was now about ripe for the clever touch of a crowd leader.
The morning meeting created a buzzing and a stir, and an
attitude ot expectancy. Everybody who could do so attended
the afternoon meeting. Mr. Voliva read in a monotone,
without inflection sufficient to indicate his own feeling, the
eight hundred and three word telegram which he had received
from Mr. Dowie directing the removal of Alexander Granger
trom all his offices, and commanding mam things contrarv to
the plans and policy already entered upon by Mr. Yoliva.

196 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

All was quiet and suspense. Then followed a* signal act of
revolt against Mr. Dowie's authority in the reinstatement of
Mr. Speicher who had been removed by Mr. Dowie, to his
office and standing in the church. The prolonged applause
of the people of \vhom a large majority were ready to renounce
allegiance to the " First Apostle," was as hearty and emo
tional as the applause they had given, over and over again,
to their former chief.

Mr. Voliva had struck the proper psychological moment,
and not by facts wThich would elighten the understanding, but
by an act of direct revolt, and then by innuendoes and intima
tions as to the immorality of the absent "apostle," the new
leader broke the hold of the old. That which had been slum
bering and waiting to find expression had burst forth into
action, and the crowd had changed its loyalty in a few mo
ments, from an old to a new leader.

Three weeks later, the people were again stampeded into
renouncing their Restoration Vow which had bound them to
Mr. Dowie. In Chicago at the Central Zion Tabernacle Over
seer Piper declared this vow similar to the Mormon vow and
thought it treasonable to the United States. Those who sub
scribed to it he said, did not realize what they were doing,
(doesn't this look like crowd action ?) but followed Dowie
blindly in this as in everything else. "How many of you
Restorationists are willing to stand up now before God and
repudiate this infamous vow^ ?" About five hundred sprang
to their feet with cries of, "We repudiate it. Before God
we repudiate it." While this was going on in Chicago, Over
seer Voliva was giving a similar talk to 5,000 people in Zion
City, breaking the hold of Mr. Dowie, and tightening the hold
of the new regime upon the people, by appeals to their pas
sions. Now what made the vow, which all had taken uncrit
ically at the suggestion or command of Mr. Dowie, un
righteous on April 22, that had been righteous under Mr.
Dowie's regime ? Simply the suggestion of Mr. Voliva or
of Mr Piper that it \vas so. Where slept the good judgment

THE PEOPLE OF ZION 197

and moral insight of the individual Restorationist when Mr.
Dowie got him to take the vow ? Where but in the bosom of
an unrefiective crowd !

We attended one of the large midweek meetings in Zion City
held in the Tabernacle, April 24, and had opportunity to wit
ness the expressions of feeling on the part of the Zion people
at what might be termed the point of recovery. Up to this
time the talk and actions of the leaders had been destructive,
with a view to confirming the revolt. But a crowd, no more
than an individual, will not thrive long upon negations. Two
dominant words were sounded in the open testimony meeting
in which a large number took part, and a tone of hopefulness
pervaded the entire session. These two words were, bond
age and freedom. The old regime and Mr. Dowie were rep
resented by bondage ; the new by freedom. These words early
in the revolt were put forth by the leaders as full of sugges
tion and import. They have been words to conjure with, and
the Zion people have persuaded themselves, or been per
suaded, that they represent the facts. But on this same occa
sion Mr. Voliva said : "We want to get such an atmosphere
here in Zion City that a person must do right or get out."
Hearty ' amens " from the people showed them to be still
under tlu- delusion that absolutism means freedom, ior Mr.
Dowie has said the same thing many times. "Right" means
now with them what it has ever meant ;- — to do as those in
authority command, — and it matters little whether the abso
lutism be of an individual or a Cabinet. Just how the people
of Zion can persuade themselves that the instruments of Mr.
Dowie's tyranny, the revolting officers, will suddenly become
men of kindly and just disposition, and meet out impartial
justice to the people under their authority, is impossible to
explain, except upon the hypothesis we have adopted.

To summarize. Mr. Dowie and his divine healing ideas
and restoration notions, has been the potent magnet that has
swept over the churches, especially of Chicago and the middle
west, and by his aggressive propaganda he has drawn the

ip8 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

Zion people to him. Le Bon says : " " In point of fact, all
the world's masters, all the founders of religions or empires,
the apostles of all beliefs, eminent statesmen, and in a more
modest sphere, the mere chiefs of small groups of men, have
always been unconscious psychologists, possessed of an in
stinctive and often very sure knowledge of the character of
crowds, and it is their accurate knowledge of this character
that has enabled them to so easily establish the mastery."

I am inclined to think it has been Mr. Dowie's daring and
the nature of his teaching that has been his chief strength,
as he has made many blunders that most leaders would avoid.
Yet as a promoter and master of the crasser forms of appeal,
he is not often equalled. The great congregation into which
his people have loved to come, because he has sought to make
it attractive, has been the place for fostering and fanning to
a flame, the loyalty and devotion of the people, and intensify
ing the gang spirit. Before this greater gathering, he has
been the one supreme, outstanding figure. Dissenting voices
have never been allowed. Mr. Dowie has been too practical
for that. Deliberation has never been friendly to his plans.
Action — immediate response — has been the key to his control.
He has made much of the air of mystery and forth coming
revelations of great things to be done, and in a time of langour
has appealed to the spirit which takes pride in a mild sort
of martyrdom, a spirit prevalent in every religious struggle
group.

Curious outsiders (save in places where Zion people have
been in a hopeless minority as in the New York visitation),
have kept silence and witnessed the unanimity of respones as
he has had his people "vote" on this or that proposition, not
daring to raise a contrary voice. I have heard them assent
(officers not excepted) to statements in full chorus of re
sponses, which a moment's reflection would discover to be
false, or at least gross exaggerations. This statement of
mine is confirmed by the fact that now their leaders are pick-

*Op. Cit, p. 20.

THK PKOPLK OF /JON igo

ing out some1 of these statements and showing them to have
been false.

So strong has been the hold of Mr. Dowie upon many oi
his people that the new leaders were loth to have any consid
erable number of them meet him upon his expected re-entry
into /ion City April 10.

If ever a struggle group has shown itself possessed of the
proper conditions of receptivity for almost any forward move
ment, or change along the line of tendencies, it has been /ion.
The element of social contagion has been exhibited at the
organization, the apostolic annunciation, the New York visita
tion, and the revolt, and in a multitude of minor cases.

The pity is that these people of high morals, for the most
part, of deep sincerity, and capable of noble enthusiasms and
loyalties, have not been led by those, who were determined to
deal honestly with them, and who would scorn to exaggerate
and deceive, but calmly reason and persuade. But had this
been the case we probably never would have had a C. C. A. C.
in /ion, as logical reasoning and persuasion seldom creates
prophets and apostles until some years after their death, nor
does it feed the emotional needs of a people in a religious
struggle group.

CHAPTER X.

CONCLUSION.

The number of abnormal persons and movements that claim
the attention of students of religious phenomena is increased
with each generation. The}' have the same or similar charac
teristics, and differ chiefly according- to the times in which
they appear. Their unusualness need not be interpreted as
supernatural, altho the abnormal and morbid was customarily
interpreted in this way by the ancients, and many moderns,
at least in point of time, are also inclined to regard the unusual
as supernatural.

Scientific examination shows that such persons and move
ments are to be accounted for upon the theory of natural
causes.

Mr. Dowie is in many ways a strange personality to say
the least, and to be explained as to his ideas and achievements
as a "sport" of the religious world.

"Leaving positive!}' insane persons out of account the peo
ple who run into the exaggerated development of one idea, or
are affected with a passionate wry-mindedness of one sort or
another, or go askew in eccentric impulses of feeling, and
cause or occasion a deal of suffering and annoyance, commonly
do more harm than good in the world. It falls on others of a
more wholesome and temperate wholeness of nature to make
special atonement for them — to suffer for their self-indul
gences, to thwart their follies, to counteract their extrava
gances, to smooth their difficulties, to rectify the disorders
which they produce in the social body. They, meanwhile
absorbed in their narrow selfishness of their one-sided or
wry-minded natures, care not sincerely for any aim except so
far as it serves to gratify the modes of egoistic righteousness

CONCLUSION 201

in which their intense and special self-love masquerades.
Nevertheless by the very intensity of their self-confidence,
bv their constitutional insensibility to other interests, by
their fanatical zeal and singleness of purpose, they some-
times get credit for their pretentious and attract followers
who look up to them as semi-inspired.

The narrow intensity of faith has two ensuing effects, the
one upon the individual himself, the other upon others.
First. Intoxicated with the joy of his special enthusiasm, he
is like a delirious or a drunken man who rejoices in everything
he does as its own justification, needing neither explanation
nor excuse : accordingly he has no distrust of himself, no desire
for sounder assurance, no compunction for his disregard of
the interests and opinions of others, even those who have most
claim upon his consideration — no feeling but one of exultant
self-satisfaction with what he thinks and does." (This de
scription of the resulting character and conduct of one under a
supreme delusion fits Mr. Dowie as perfectly as if it had been
written concerning him. It was as a matter of fact written
before Mr. Dowie began his career of self-delusion and delud
ing others. That he has been regardless of any other than
his own opinion or interest his own people now bear abundant
witness. The pity is that he was surrounded by men who
had no desire or certainly no ability to curb his exceedingly
selfish and unreasonable usurpations of power and his oppres
sion of those of his humbler followers who dared to refuse to
take him at his own estimate).

'Second. The intensity of belief with which lie holds to a
novel and seemingly forlorn opinion, his ardent devotion to
it. and its final triumph in spite of opposition and against all
apparent reason, when it does succeed — these are so surpris
ing to others, who easily perceive his limitations, that the
success seems more than natural, not to be accounted for ex
cept by supernatural help.

Thus it has been that religious impostors have arisen and
flourished, not consciously insincere at first, perhaps, they

202 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

have deceived themselves, then imposed upon others, and in
the end, by the reflex effect upon themselves of the admira
tion and reverence of which they are the objects, have become
more or less conscious impostors, affecting the sanctity which
their disciples ascribe to them. Wanting in intellectual
wholeness and sincerity, by reason of a natural flaw of mental
structure, it is inevitable that they become morally insincere.
They delude others for their own gain or glory, and to delude
others is a sure way to become by a stealthy process of self-
collusion, self-deluded. It is a signal unreason to challenge
reverence and authority for a person of this sort, tacitly or
expressly, because of his burning zeal and sincerity, since he
may be as little capable of correct observation, as incapable
of self -observation, and as deeply sunk in self, as if he were
actually insane. To christen a vice zeal is not to transform
it into a virtue. His nature is not well tempered, it is intem
perate, and on the way therefore, to becoming distempered,
and in any case the quality of its sincerity is very poor, for
the sincerest person, albeit the insincerest to nature all around
is the lunatic." *

We have shown that Mr. Dowie falls in the category of just
such persons, and the greatness of his pretensions and the
long continued success that he had in holding his people to
gether and in building up his organization for ten years, does
not invalidate in the least this estimate of his character.

His people too have been attracted for the most part be
cause they were predisposed to follow and laud just such a
person. His beliefs, and interpretations of the religious life,
found tli em so readily, and took hold of them so completely,
because they were his mental kinsfolk. His development
toward delusion and deceit, and his assumption of the role
of a conscious or unconscious impostor, was caused by his
own insatiable self-esteem, it is true. But not less powerful
has been the impulse and suggestion furnished by an over-

*H. M. Maudsley, " Natural Causes and Supernatural Seemings,"
p. 171.

CONCH ."SIGN 203

credulous following. It he was under the delusion that In-
had been sent of God as Elijah, his people had to pass under
the same delusion to remain his followers, or to falsify about
the matter: for time and again he exacted the declaration
from his people that they did so believe, livery signer of the
Vow of a Restorationist was under this delusion, or suffered
coercion of will, amounting approximately to dishonesty.

The follies and wrongs of Mr. Dowic were not caused by
him alone. He has himself and his people to blame, and
while the following may not as a whole be criminally and legally
responsible for his character and doings, they arc psycholog
ically responsible in a large measure.

It is also true that the healings of Mr. Dowic require no
element of the miraculous to explain them. The atmosphere
that a man of such hypnotic influence and power as to be able
to hold a large following deceived for years, would create,
and the bringing together of so inanv of the same mental atti
tude, would make healings by suggestion not only probable,
but well nigh inevitable. Not that it can be shown that none
of the persons healed in connection with this movement were
not truly helped back to health by the infinite spirit of power
and wholeness that furnishes all life,- and being, for any sort
of healing presupposes a power past explanation and valua
tion in anv complete- sense. But what is meant by natural
as used in science generally, is sufficient to account for all
these cures.

\Yhat will become of the movement inaugurated and so
long controlled absolutely by Mr. Dowie ? The answer lies
outside our province. Yet it has great interest.

Since we can not forsee what elements of strength and
weakness will be mixed in the men who shall assume leader
ship, we must await the developments of time. Nor can any
one predict the next move that a psychological crowd will
make upon the introduction of some disintegrating influence
or an influence that will deflect the current of its group life.
'1 he feeling that the people of Zion have under the new regime

204 JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE

that they are free, is another delusion fondly indulged and
fostered by their new leaders. It may be that a sufficient
number will, by enforced reflection, come to see the true state
in which they are placed, and forsake leaders who are scarcely
more worthy of trust and confidence than Mr. Dowie.

In any case the movement will pass out of its tense state
and its uncritical devotion to certain opinions and doctrines
and if it has inherent energy enough to persist, will develop
a tradition, a doctrine and a cult of its own, and be influenced
by the currents of modern life in some measure, but continue
as a modified form of Dowieism.